Harry - Elora Chronicles; Part 3: Tales of Lore
by Nightmoon
Summary: Harry - Elora Chronicles; Part 3: Tales of Lore
1. Tales of Lore - Chapter 1

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales of Lore (CH1)**  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)

Harry had started to settle himself into the guestroom at Elora's house. The room was huge! Harry compared it to three times the room the Dursley's let him sleep in, the room that was once Dudley's 'toy room'. 

The trip to the farm Elora and her parents called their own was great. They took the four-wheel-drive giant green truck hitched to the trailer the Unicorns rode in to a train, then took the train to a ship, then off the ship and back on another road... Harry had lost track of where they were. Mr. Danen said it was for safety precautions. Their farm lay hidden in a valley protected by an old enchantment passed down from generation to generation through the family. 

When Harry at first saw the giant valley with a large white house, a four-door garage, a giant garden, and the huge dark forest Elora had told him about that was spread around the area, he would have thought they were rich. _"The land and house," Mrs. Danen explained, "Has been passed down for many generations. When Elora's grandmother died, we returned to it and spruced it up and have been here since then."_

"Harry!" Elora shouted from outside to Harry, "Are you about ready?"

Harry leaned out the window to look at Elora who stood looking up to him since he was on the second floor of the large house. Mrs. Danen stroked the main of the mother Unicorn while the foal kicked and ran around, stretching its legs from the long trip. "I'll be down in a second." Harry shouted back to Elora.

Harry turned to walk around the large bed and across the room he was going to call his own until the next year of Hogwarts, when he spotted Mr. Danen leaning against the entrance. "Do you like it, Harry?" Mr. Danen asked.

"Yes Mr. D - I mean, Dennis. It's a HUGE change from what I'm used to." Harry replied.

"Really?" Mr. Danen said, a slight smirk on his face, "I would have given you a larger room, but the other rooms are full of junk, and then there is Elora's room, but I'm sure she wouldn't want me to touch any of her stuff. You know how women are." He winked with a grin on his face.

Harry laughed, "Yeah. This is just fine, I love it."

"Well," Mr. Danen shrugged, "As long as you're comfortable. Now, let's get outside and introduce our other visitors to their new home." He started to walk away.

Harry followed behind him quickly. They walked down the spiral steps, which connected the two floors, out the door, and down more steps to meet up with Elora and Mrs. Danen, who tried to calm little Luno, the Unicorn foal. "All right," Mr. Danen exclaimed, "Let's get going."

Mr. Danen took lead towards a rocky path that led to the forest behind their house. Harry stayed with Elora and Mrs. Danen, who walked beside Unicorn mother and Luno. Luno switched between trotting and running to catch up with them. 

When they reached the entrance to the forest, the air rippled in front of them. Mr. Danen took out a short thick stick the size of his hand, held it firmly, and to Harry's surprise the stick extended to the length of his body. He spun the stick, now a pole, around in front of him and Harry could see the air in front of the forest ripple, shimmer, and then seem to disappear from the top to the bottom.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

Elora smiled, "Daddy's little spell he placed around the forest, for my protection, but now that the Unicorns are here. The forest won't need a spell since it'll be renewed by their presence." She walked over to the Unicorn mother and stroked her flank gently, whispering to her, "I'm sure you'll love it here. Harry and I will come visit you once in a while, I'm sure you'll come visit us as well."

The Unicorn mother neighed softly and trotted towards the entrance of the forest. Luno trotted over to Elora, she knelt down, and Luno nuzzled itself against her. "I'll visit you too, Luno." Elora laughed. Luno then joined her mother, and as soon as they entered and disappeared into the thick trees of the forest, the forest seemed to glow.

Mrs. Danen smiled and leaned up to her husband, she whispered, "It'll be lovely to have Unicorns living near us."

Mr. Danen nodded, "When's supper?"

Mrs. Danen slapped him lightly on the arm saying, "Can you think of anything else but your stomach Dennis?" He smiled and shook his head and then they walked off together. Mrs. Danen shouted in Elora and Harry's direction, "Supper will be in an hour. Don't wonder off too far you two!"

"We won't Mom." Elora shouted back and turned to Harry. She asked him, "Would you like a tour of the valley, Harry?"

Harry nodded and held Elora's hand, replying, "We have an hour to waste. So, why not?"

They walked farther down the dusty path, through a shrub of trees, and into Mr. Danen's large garden. A path set down the middle of the garden forked off in many directions. The different plants were named and separated from each other. Harry could see the original plants he knew like Potatoes, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Carrots (of which some they pulled out, washed, and munched on). He also saw herbs like Warries Roots, Cupids Arrows, and Honey-Dee Leeks. Elora said her father had a green thumb, and used the herbs to make potions for cures.

"Would you like to do play a Magic Game, Harry?" Elora asked.

"But we're not a loud to do magic here." Harry replied, "It's a rule for all Hogwarts students."

"I know that," Elora laughed, "My dad will let a little magic be used, and for this game, we need it. Come with me." Elora pulled Harry down the path of the garden, to a circular open area in the middle of the garden. In the middle of the open area two rectangular rugs, fancily designed with red, green, and yellow and golden tassels on either side, lay still on the sand. 

"What's this?" Harry said, "Rugs?"

"Yep, Harry, they're carpets though. The game is you have to make them fly, then we race." Elora replied. "I've played this game ever since I was ten. I've mastered it, and I love to fly on it, although I hate heights. But the carpet is safe."

"All right," Harry nodded, "How do we make it fly?"

Elora walked up to a carpet, raised her hands above it, and chanted, "Magic Carpet, hear me all the same. I command you to fly... so I can play this game!" The carpet begun to hover above the ground and Elora boosted her self on to it. "See, Harry? Now you try."

Harry walked over to the other carpet and raised his hands above it and repeated what Elora had said, but wearily, "Hum... Magic Carpet, hear me all the same. I command you to fly... so I can play this game." The Carpet moved on the ground, slipping itself under Harry, then took off into the air, with Harry holding on for his dear life.

"Ooops!" Elora shouted to Harry, "I forgot about that one."

"You what?" Harry screamed, "What's wrong with this one?"

"It's my Dad's, he bought it from a market, and it seems to have a mind of its own. We don't know why."

"Right, how do I stop this crazy thing!" 

"Down, Murdoch, Down!" Elora shouted and the carpet floated softly to the ground, with Harry clinging to its side, cared like he had just seen Voldemort. 

Elora laughed, "I'm really sorry about that."

Harry nodded, "It's... It's all right."

"Elora! Harry!" Mrs. Danen's voice came from a far, "Supper's ready!"

Harry stepped off the floating carpet wearily, he felt queasy, and walked towards Elora just to trip over a rock... Elora caught him, lost her balance, and fell back into her magic carpet. Slowly the two of them floated to the ground. Harry's sight cleared and he looked at Elora, beneath him, smiling and blushing slightly. "I - I'm..." Harry tried to say, but Elora put a finger to his lips and stopped him. 

"Shh." Elora whispered, "It's okay." They leaned in to kiss each other when...

"Elora? Harry?" Mr. Danen's voice was heard not to far away. The moment broke and Elora pushed Harry off of her. Harry lay on the ground next to her, acting calm and cool, with a grin on his face. Mr. Danen appeared behind a bush, "There you two are. Come now, supper's ready."

Elora stood up, saying, "All right Dad." She turned her head to Harry who was just dusting himself off and she winking; "Race you," and ran off out of sight. Mr. Danen stopped Harry when he tried to run past him.

"I saw you two," Mr. Danen said, "When did this happen?"

"When did what happen?" Harry asked.

"The feelings between you and Elora." Mr. Danen replied with a smirk on his face, "Harry. You must be a very special person, to both win against Voldemort and win my daughter's heart."

"Th-Thank you, sir" Harry replied.

Mr. Danen stepped out of his way saying, "Now go, you already lost the race."

Harry ran off towards the house. Mr. Danen walked in the opposite direction. The carpet Harry had rode floated up him; he stroked its surface and whispered to it, "Murdoch. I think Elora's finally found the one for her heart." The carpet responded by moving its tassels and Mr. Danen hummed lightly.

* * *

Mrs. Danen had made a large 3 course dinners, which consisted of a salad made from fresh vegetables from Mr. Danen's garden, Italian food (linguini and sauce) and hot apple pie for desert. After dinner Harry yawned saying, "That was great! I've never had anything like it."

"Thank you Harry," Mrs. Danen laughed, "I'm glad you like it." She looked at her watch as she collected the plates. "My, it's late. Everyone, bed now."

"But Mom!" Elora whined, "I wanted to show Harry... you know, the lights?"

Mr. Danen growled lightly, "Listen to your mother, Elora... they won't be going any where."

"No, no, no, Dennis." Mrs. Danen said, "All right Elora, but only for 10 minutes, then it's to bed for the both of you."

"Yes!" Elora exclaimed, practically jumping off her seat. "Come on Harry, you HAVE to see this!" She grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him off his chair, and they both ran out the door into the cold night. Elora pulled him through a field and they stopped at the top of a hill.

Harry caught his breath; "What was it you wanted to show me?"

"Shhh..." Elora said, "Wait a moment."

Then suddenly tiny sparkling lights surrounded them... Fireflies! Elora smiled as she watched the Fireflies "These are 'The Lights', Harry."

"Beautiful," Harry said, not looking at the Fireflies, but at Elora. Elora turned to him, realised it, and smiled. Harry took her hands into his, kissed them softly, and then kissed Elora.

Inside the house Mrs. and Mr. Danen stood by a window and watched them. "Dennis, do you remember when we kissed in the light of the fireflies?" Mrs. Danen sighed.

"I remember, Sherri," Mr. Danen replied, "It was the moment I decided you were the only woman able to steal my heart."

"And that I did," Mrs. Danen replied, and kissed her husband. They were interrupted when an Owl flew through the open window, holding a parchment in its claws. Mr. Danen took the parchment and paid the bird, later reading what the parchment said.

"Oh no," Mr. Danen mumbled, "The council knows about us, Sherri."

"Well we've got the famous Harry Potter living with us, I sent word to them. What's wrong?" Mrs. Danen said.

"You shouldn't have, Sherri. No! Shoot." Mr. Danen exclaimed, "They want us to let go of the enchantment. They say it's for Harry and Elora's sake, if they can't watch them, then they won't be able to go back to Hogwarts next year."

Mrs. Danen gasped and fell back into a chair, "But if we let go of the enchantment - No! Send them a letter back; tell them what will happen. We can't Dennis... we just can't."

"I know. The Valley will be defenceless, we'll be defenceless, and Elora and Harry will be exposed to everything this Valley brings." Mr. Danen told his wife, "I'll reply to them, saying why we can't do it."

Mr. Danen sat down, took out a roll of parchment and a feathered pen from a desk, and started to write a letter. Hopefully convincing the council not to make them drop the shield, and not to take Elora and Harry out of Hogwarts because of it. Hopefully, they would understand.

Elora and Harry entered the house, she shouted, "We're going to bed now! Good night!"

Mr. Danen whispered to his wife, "Don't tell her, Sherri, not yet."

Mrs. Danen nodded and shouted back to Elora, "All right. Good night hunny. Good night Harry."

"Good night." Harry replied, a smile across his face from ear-to-ear as he parted with Elora. Elora's bedroom was on the main floor and his was upstairs. Harry thought to himself as he climbed into bed that any night to come isn't going to be as good as the one he had had tonight.


	2. Tales of Lore - Chapter 2

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales of Lore (CH2)**  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)

It was almost ten in the morning when Elora was stopped by her mom before she reached the door to Harry's room, "Elora, let him sleep." Mrs. Danen softly said, not to wake Harry who still lay fast asleep in his room.

"But mom, we were supposed to go visit Luno and her mother before noon." Elora whined.

Mrs. Danen walked up the stairs, her voice echoing softly down the hall; "You can go yourself. When Harry wakes up I'll tell him where you are, I'm sure he'll be up any minute."

"All right," Elora said, "I have to go pick some vegetables any way."

"That's a good girl." Mrs. Danen said, letting Elora pass her to get downstairs. Mrs. Danen watched her exit the house with a basket in her hand, and sighed softly. "Any news from the council, Dennis?" Mrs. Danen whispered to her husband, who sat on a chair in the dining room, reading a parchment.

Mr. Danen groaned, "The Council wants to be sure they can keep a close eye on Harry and Elora. They don't seem to trust us, Sherri. Why the heck don't they trust us?"

"Dennis," Mrs. Danen said in a calming voice, "We're Rouge Wizards, remember? We shut ourselves out from the Wizarding world, and now that our daughter is a part of it, we have to abide by their rules now, for Elora and Harry's sake."

"What are you saying, Sherri?" Mr. Danen growled, "That we should take down the enchantment. God, No Sherri! We can't! What about the Unicorns? If any one or any thing finds its way into the valley, then they're done for!"

Mrs. Danen thought for a moment, "What about we put up a security enchantment? Dennis, when Elora and Harry go back to Hogwarts, then we'll put the other one up. The security enchantment will tell us if an intruder enters the valley. It'll be all right."

"Sherri, I don't get it. You were so worked up about the enchantment before. Why the change of heart?"

"I don't know. I guess I just looked at how happy Elora's been since she came back from Hogwarts. Not only because she has a boyfriend, Harry, but also because she gets to be a part of a different world. I just don't want to take that away from her."

Mr. Danen sighed, nodding his head, and said, "For Elora's sake, Sherri. I'll write to the council and tell them we'll take down the enchantment... for now."

A yawning sound was heard as Harry walked down the steps, fully dressed, saying, "Morning every one."

"Harry!" Mrs. Danen said, smiling, "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Uhm..." Harry said, looking around, "Where's Elora?"

Mr. Danen, over the scratching of pen to parchment, said, "She went outside to pick some vegetables for the Unicorns."

"Oh," Harry responded, wondering what Mr. Danen was writing, "I'll skip breakfast. I'll go join Elora." 

Harry headed towards the door, and almost reached it when Mrs. Danen stopped him, "You need to eat something, Harry."

Harry smiled at her saying, "I'll eat some veggies, Sherri, thank you though," then he left.

Before the door closed Elora's owl 'Angel', a black owl with a white stripe down its back, flew out the door with a folded parchment in its beak. Mr. Danen walked up behind his wife saying, "Well, before we drop the enchantment, I think we should tell them."

"Soon, dear," Mrs. Danen said, "Soon."

* * *

Elora walked through the carrot patch of her father's garden, filling the basket she held with wonderful vegetables for the Unicorns. "They'll love these," Elora said, while placing the last carrot into the basket. She stepped out of the patch when Harry, who seemed to have suddenly appeared in front of her, startled her. "Harry!" she shouted and gave him a big hug.

Harry wrapped his arms around Elora; "Good morning. I see you got a lot of veggies for Luno and her mother."

"Yep!" Elora responded, "Come on, let's go. I bet Luno's waiting already." They walked off to together to the forest behind Elora's house, holding hands, while Harry munched on a carrot. Elora laughed at Harry.

"What?" Harry said, with carrot in his mouth. 

Elora giggled saying, "You're so cute! You look like a jet-black haired bunny. What's up 'doc?"

"Oh, ha ha..." Harry sarcastically exclaimed, "And you look like a-" he paused, "darn!"

"What?" Elora said, "Can't come up with a come-back?" Harry jokingly growled, then joined in as Elora laughed just as they reached the forest.

The trees were starting to bud and the darkness that once over took the forest was gone. Luno came running out of the trees and to Elora's side. Elora knelt down and stroked Luno, gently saying, "Good morning Luno. I brought something for you-" but before she could finish, Luno had already been munching on the veggies in Elora's basket. Elora laughed. Luno's mother walked gently out of the forest, barely making a sound, as she seemed to float. 

Elora stood up and bowed her head to the great mare saying, "Good morning. We haven't given you a name, have we?" The Unicorn neighed softly in response. Elora thought for a moment, trying to choose a name for her.

"I got one!" Harry said, "Cool-mo-dee!" (This is a joke my brother always likes! lol)

"No Harry!" Elora shouted to him, Harry laughed, then Elora turned to the Unicorn mother again. "What about, uhm, Virtue?"

"Virtue?" Harry pondered, "Who is 'Virtue'?"

"Not 'who', Harry, but 'what'. Let me tell you a rhyme about a certain virtue I heard from school." Elora said, then cleared her throat, "Patience is a virtue, which you can always depend. Always found in women, and never found in men!" She giggled afterwards.

Harry groaned, "Ha ha... Well, does she like it?"

Elora smiled and said, "Patience, Harry," then turned to the mother. The Unicorn bowed her head to Elora - she liked it! "All right, Virtue it is." Elora said, giving Virtue a carrot from her basket and stroking her mane gently.

Mr. and Mrs. Danen walked up the path to the forest. "Good morning all."

"Mom, I named the mother. Her name is Virtue." Elora said.

"What a nice name. Good choice, Elora." Mrs. Danen said, trying to smile as the thought of what they had to say was bothering her. 

"Elora, Harry. We have to talk to you two about something." Mr. Danen said.

"Yes dad, what is it?" Elora looked at him.

"Your mother and I were contacted by the council yesterday. They requested that we take down the enchantment around the Valley so that they could monitor both you and Harry." Mr. Danen explained.

"And you said no," Elora replied, "Right?"

"Actually, no, Elora," Mrs. Danen answered, "They said if they couldn't monitor you and Harry, then you wouldn't be able to go back to Hogwarts."

A soft "Oh" came from Elora's mouth. "Then I guess you said you would, eh?" Mr. and Mrs. Danen both nodded. "All right," Elora said, "Then do it. I'm sure the valley will be fine without it. You're going to put up some security, right?"

"We just wanted to talk it over with you and Harry, so you both know. You have to be careful once we put it down." Mr. Danen said.

"Father," Elora laughed, "We'll be fine."

Mrs. Danen sighed, "I'm sure we will. All right, Dennis, let's go." She took her husbands hand and pulled him to the north edge of the valley where the enchantment's main source was stored.

"Elora," Harry said, "Tell me what the enchantment does. I know your parents put it up to protect you from Voldemort and the Wizarding community, but what else does it do?"

"It protects the valley, Harry." Elora replied with a soft sigh, "This valley has been in my family for many generations. No one has ever stepped into the enchantment's boundaries, because they cannot see the valley. Nothing can get in, and nothing can get out, except for natural occurrences like sunlight and rain of course."

"So if your parents bring down the enchantment," Harry said.

Elora continued, "Then any thing can get into the valley. That's why the security enchantment is needed, it'll place a low-powered barrier around the valley and act like a Muggle Bugler alarm. Where if anything unknown tries to get it, my parents will know, and depending on what it is, take action upon it." She sighed again, giving Virtue the last celery stick. Luno ran around her mother and Elora, but with a soft neigh from Virtue, Luno stopped.

"Will Luno and Virtue be okay?" Harry asked as Elora knelt down to stroke Lunos mane gently.

"Oh yeah," Elora smiled, "They'll be fine. Virtue knows how to handle visitors. Unicorns have a special ability where if they want to be seen they can, and if not then they won't. So they'll be just fine." Luno brushed her face against Elora's leg, a thank you for the veggies and the visit, then she returned to her mother. Elora stood up as Virtue and Luno trotted back into the forest.

Harry came up behind Elora and wrapped his arms around her waist; "There's so much about Unicorn's I don't know. How do you know so much?"

"Books, Harry." Elora said, a smile on her face as the Unicorns disappeared into the forest, "I've loved Unicorns since I was born practically. The books I've read, well, some have true facts and some are false, but I've learned to strain out the truthful from the faulty."

"Elora!" a scream echoed towards Harry and Elora's position. Mrs. Danen came running down the path from the North, with Mr. Danen a ways behind her. "Elora! Something large is in the valley, we just put up the security barrier, how did whatever it is, know so quick?" Mrs. Danen said, catching her breath.

"Damnit." Mr. Danen exclaimed looking around at the sky, "Where the heck is it?"

"Dad," Elora said in a worried tone, "Why are you looking up at the sky?"

Mr. Danen looked to Elora, "Because Elora, it FLEW in."

"It's probably a bird." Harry said.

Mr. Danen shook his head saying, "If it is Harry, then it's a very large bird. The barrier calculated it to the size of a commercial airplane; it's alive, and nothing more. It's usually very specific, but it seemed to have moved too fast."

A loud, long and deep roar echoed through the valley. A massive shadow flew slowly over their position. They all looked up. Mrs. Danen gasped, "It's a Dragon!" She was right. The thing was a large, size of a commercial plane, black dragon. Their wingspan was two times its body size. The black dragon flew in circles over their position.

"What is it doing here?" Harry asked, "I've never heard of wild Dragons, except in London."

"They only way a Dragon could just be here, Harry," Mr. Danen sneered, "Is if it belonged to someone, and was sent here for a purpose." The Dragon gave another long, loud roar. "Every one!" Mr. Danen shouted, "Into the house!"

They started to run off to the back door of the large white house. Mr. Danen led his wife in front while Harry and Elora ran behind them. The dragon started to fly towards them, nearing closer and closer to Elora's position. It drew its breath and blew fire just over Elora's head and in front of her, cutting her off from Harry and trapping her in a circle of flames.

"Harry!" Elora screamed as the Dragon, with its giant claws, picked her up off the ground.

Harry stopped and turned around, he ran after the Dragon as it flew off with Elora. "Let her go!" he shouted to the Dragon. But it kept flying beyond the hills of the valley and disappeared.

Mr. Danen walked up behind Harry saying, "Harry. Don't worry about Elora. For whatever reason that Dragon took her, I bet whoever it belongs to won't hurt her."

Harry turned around growling, "You can't be too sure about that."

* * *

The large black Dragon flew over miles of grassland and prairie before it landed in a fortress - a castle surrounded by high stone wall and towers on each corner of the grand wall. Elora fell to her knees when the Dragon let her go... she hated heights. 

Elora shivered both from the cold - since she only wore a thin white cloak with thin pants and a T-shirt under it - and the experience of the flight. Someone walked up beside her and swung a blanket around her shoulders. She jerked up to her feet and looked up, staring into the eyes of a tall, medium-built, short blonde haired, pale faced man wearing a gray cloak. The man gave Elora a short grin; "My name is Ahren. Welcome to Castle Gray, Elora."


	3. Tales of Lore - Chapter 3

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales Of Lore** (CH3)  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)

"What?" Mrs. Danen shouted after Mr. Danen and Harry told her that the black Dragon took Elora out of the valley. She started screaming again, almost crying, "Why would it take Elora? Why Elora? What's so special about ELORA?"

"Sherri, calm yourself." Mr. Danen said, trying to calm his wife. He was trying to be the tough one, knowing that Elora could take care of herself, and that no harm would come to her.

Harry, on the other hand, knew a couple reasons why the dragon would take Elora. One, because she was the Moon Guardian and two, because she had with her the Dreamscape crystal. He sighed and spoke up, "I know two reasons why the Dragon might have taken her..."

After Harry told them, Mr. Danen laughed, "Harry, we already know that Elora's the Moon Guardian and has the Dreamscape crystal. She doesn't keep anything from us."

"Oh... right." Harry said, a little confused because he thought they wouldn't have known. Oh well, he thought, all the better. 

Mrs. Danen wiped away a few tears that trickled down her face and under a whimpering tone asked, "Who does the black dragon belong to? Who took my BABY?"

Then suddenly, a fuzzy figure (like a TV news hologram on sci-fi shows) appeared on the center of the table. The man wore a gray cloak, his face was pale, and his hair was blonde, he spoke to them, "Good afternoon Sherri, Dennis. How are you two today?"

"Ahren!" Mr. Danen growled, "Was it you who took our daughter?"

Ahren, a miniature fuzzy version of himself, snickered lightly, "Yes, Dennis. Elora is with me, and here she will stay. You owe me that much, Dennis. Do you remember?"

Mr. Danen growled, "I remember, but it wasn't iron-clad!"

Mrs. Danen whimpered, "What does he mean, Dennis?"

"Sherri," Ahren said to Mrs. Danen in an excited tone, "How long has it been... 20 years? You're as beautiful as you've always been, my dear."

"I want my daughter back!" Mrs. Danen shouted to the miniature figure of Ahren.

"Calm yourself, Sherri." Mr. Danen said as he ran over to his wife and held her close as she cried into his shoulder. He looked over to the miniature Ahren, "Ahren. What do you want in exchange for Elora?"

Ahren replied, "Nothing of yours Dennis, except your daughter. Long ago you promised me your first born when I saved your life that cold day at Hogwarts, when you slipped into the lake. I held that promise, Dennis, but when you put up the enchantment I could not take her. So now she's mine," and he disappeared from the table.

Mrs. Danen pushed away from her husband; "You promised him Elora?"

"That was long ago, Sherri, it wasn't supposed to be real. I was in shock then and," Mr. Danen tried to explain.

"HOW COULD YOU DENNIS?" Mrs. Danen screamed, crying, then ran off to the master bedroom.

"Sherri!" Mr. Danen shouted calmly, trying to explain his actions... but it was too late, she had disappeared into the bedroom and locked the door; "I'm sorry."

"Dennis," Harry said, "Who was that guy? And what just happened?"

Mr. Danen took a seat at the table and waved his hand to another chair, signaling Harry to sit and he began his story:

"Long ago, Harry, when I went to Hogwarts I was best friends with Ahren, the man you say just then. One winter I was walking near the lake and slipped in. Ahren saved me, and in shock and thankfulness that he saved me from a cold death, I told him (flashback: a frail boy pulls a tough looking kid out of broken patch of an ice-covered lake) _"Thank you, I owe you my first born"_ (end flashback) I didn't think he'd hold me to that promise. Now, I don't know what to do."

"Get her back from him," Harry suggested.

Mr. Danen shook his head, "I don't know where he is, Harry. I don't have the strength to go against him. When he was in Hogwarts, he was suspended during his second last year at Hogwarts for practicing the Dark Arts. He must be a powerful Dark Wizard by now, the way he was going back then."

"If Elora and I can go up against Voldemort and Razerlorn," Harry said, "Then we can get Elora back from Ahren. Don't give up so easily."

Mr. Danen sighed, "I know you're right, Harry." A grin started to form across his face, "And I've got some friends who might be able to help."

* * *

Elora sat in a wooden chair, wrapped in a thick mass of blanket, at the end of long stone table. It was as cold as Snape's dungeon-like classroom, well, maybe a bit warmer, but still she didn't like the vibes she got from the place. 

Ahren, who had taken her to this place, had left the room for a while but he soon came back in with a platter holding a cup of a steaming liquid. He placed it down in front of her, smiled, and said, "Cocoa, Elora. I know it's cold in my castle, but you'll get used to it soon."

"I won't have to. I'm leaving soon." Elora sneered at Ahren.

Ahren laughed, "No, Elora. Your father promised you to me long ago. Now I take you as my own daughter. You will be here for the rest of your life."

"What do you mean?" Elora growled.

Ahren sat in a chair beside Elora; "Long ago at Hogwarts I saved your father from a cold, icy death. He promised me his first born, and that would be you, Elora."

Elora's eyes widened, she couldn't believe her dad would promise something like that, her eyes narrowed and she shouted at Ahren, "My father would not do something like that! YOU LIE!"

"Do I, Elora?" Ahren replied calmly, "See for yourself." 

The room started turning black and chairs and tables disappeared, Elora found herself floating near the lake at Hogwarts. Ahren was beside her. Two figures came into focus near the lake; a frail boy helped a tough-looking kid out of the water. "The frail one is me, Elora. The other one is your father." 

"This can't be," Elora whispered, when she heard the boy who was her father say _"Thank you, I owe you my first born."_ She lowered her head and started to cry as the Hogwarts flashback disappeared and the stone room she was once in came back into focus.

Ahren walked up to her and lifted her head, his cold blue eyes looked into hers and he said, "Stay with me Elora. I don't have a family, and I'm so lonely."

"What about your black dragon?" Elora growled.

Ahren smiled, "I'm the black dragon, Elora." 

Elora was shocked, "You?"

Ahren nodded, "I'm a master in the Dark Arts, Elora, and you will too. You will learn everything I know, and until you do, any magic that you know will not be aloud."

Elora's eyes narrowed and with her hands under the thick mass of blankets a small aura of sparkling light formed around her Guard, "You can't order me around," she said, then shouted, "You're not my FATHER!"

When she pulled her hand out of the blankets in order to throw the beam at Ahren, thinking she would knock him out so she could escape, everything went wrong. 

Ahren took her by the arms, slammed her against the stone wall of the room, pinning her right arms to the wall, and whispered, "Discharamis." 

The chant was a Dark spell used to discharge any magic and magical items the wizard or witch who had it upon them held. With the spell upon Elora, the light on her guard faded and was encased in a black moving mass. 

Ahren smirked saying, "Any magic that I do not teach you is strictly banned from this castle. This spell will be sure that that rule is followed. Now then," he let go of Elora, "Follow me to your room. We will start your training at sunrise."

Elora was in shock, she touched the black mass around her Guard and it felt cold. She thought to herself, "Oh yeah, this is just great! How can this guy discharge the Moon Guard?" She thought she'd ask Ahren when the time was right and maybe somehow trick him into teaching her a counter-spell. She pulled the blankets tighter around her and followed Ahren up a tall stone staircase to a room at the left at the top of the staircase. 

When Ahren opened the door, warmth overcame Elora. The room that Ahren had prepared for her looked just like her own. Every picture on the wall was the same, her bed, dresser, dressing table, mirror, and even her stuffed unicorns.. every thing was there! Even the rug was the same colour, with the ink stain by her bed where she had spilled ink while doing a potions vacation project just a couple nights ago, and the window with her drapes and sun-catcher's. How did he do it? She looked at him.

"I thought you'd be more comfortable in your own room... so here it is." Ahren said.

Elora grinned, "I'd be more comfortable if you'd let me go home!"

Ahren laughed, "You're mine now, Elora. Your father can't save you. He won't save you, he knows my power, and I'm much stronger than he is. Now, go... rest. Tomorrow is another day." He pushed her into her room and closed the door, a clicking sound was heard and Elora knew she was locked in. She ran over to the window, thinking she could get out that way, but when she tried to open it she stepped back... it wasn't real, she should have known that, and even if she did open it, it was a 20 foot drop to the ground.

Elora walked over to her bed and fell onto it. She knew Ahren was wrong about her father not trying to save her. She knew Harry would pressure him into doing it. So with nothing else that she could do, she climbed under the covers, rolled over, and fell asleep, knowing that tomorrow would be a hard day.


	4. Tales of Lore - Chapter 4

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales of Lore** (CH4)  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)

(( Elora's Dream ))

_In a gray fog a tall woman wearing a gray cloak with long brown hair, her bangs coloured white like Elora's, stood holding a spiraling black orb in her hands. Elora walked up to her and asked, "Who are you?"_

_The woman's cold dark eyes stared into Elora's, she whispered, "I am who you will be." Her eyes narrowed and the orb she held turned into a shimmering black handled dagger, she took Elora by the arm, spun her around, and forced the dagger to Elora's neck. Elora screamed. "Don't fight it. The darkness will protect you, and you will be the most powerful being in all worlds."_

(( End Dream ))

Elora awoke with start. She could see the light of day out of the window, it was the break of dawn. For a second she couldn't remember where she was... then when the door opened,and Ahren came into the light, she remembered.

"I see you're awake already. Good," Ahren said, "Get dressed. Breakfast awaits, then it's time to train." He left her room and closed the door.

"God!" Elora exclaimed, running her fingers through her hair, "What's going on?" She slipped out of her bed and to her dresser, opening the drawer she saw all gray cloaks, gray pants, gray EVERY THING. She sighed and got dressed all in gray. She looked like the woman in her dream, except she wasn't a woman but a 16 year-old girl, while the woman in her dream looked at least 20 but it was she.

She stepped into the halls of the castle, feeling warmer under the cloaks she wore now than she did yesterday. Was it that the castle was warmer, or was it something with the cloaks? "Elora," she could here Ahren's dark voice echo from the bottom of the stairs, "This way please."

She walked down the many stone steps of the staircase, to the main level and into the dining room, where the stone table lay covered with many delicious and tantalizing breakfast foods - the same she would fine at Hogwarts. Ahren stood at the end of the table, a chair pulled up for Elora, and said, "Please sit."

Elora sat down and Ahren pushed the chair for Elora closer to the table. Her plate was full of warm foods. Ahren took a seat at the other end of the table, he said, "Please begin." Elora picked up her fork and knife, and began eating what was in front of her. It was even more tasteful then it looked.

After breakfast, Ahren took Elora to a large room that looked like a gym. Nothing was made of stone. The floor was waxed hardwood. A large mat stretched to both end of the gym, and there were even hopes for playing the Muggle game basketball, which Elora loved to play as a child. A small table stood in the middle of the gym, a small box lay on top of it, and there was one thing Elora would never see in a regular gym: in the center of all four walls in the gym a small dartboard was placed.

Ahren walked up the table and pulled out something from it, sort-of rectangular in shape that was wrapped in gray cloth. He waved his hand to Elora, signaling her to approach him. She walked up to him, skeptical of what was going to happen. He unraveled the cloth and in his hands he held three shimmering black handled daggers, letting the cloth fall to the floor.

"These are the Dark Art Daggers, they will be yours when you've mastered them." Ahren said.

Elora grinned, "Aren't you afraid that I'll use them against you?"

Ahren laughed, "The Dark Art Daggers are loyal to me, and until I give them to you when I think you're ready, they will obey me. Now, take one."

Elora took one of the daggers by the handle, and holding it in her hands she suddenly felt fain... images ran through her mind.

(( Dream Episode ))

_Elora found herself in her dream. A man appeared in the gray fog, it was Ahren, his gray cloak flew ferociously behind him. He held out his hand to Elora saying, "Come, my daughter, he awaits us."_

_Elora was in the body of the woman she said was herself (A/N: confusing, neh?) and she took Ahren's hand. For a second she couldn't remember who she was - she couldn't remember her mother or father, or even Harry and all her friends at Hogwarts. All she knew was that Ahren was her father, and that she had the powers to destroy the worlds of the Muggles, Wizards, and even those of the Maze. She walked beside Ahren towards a giant stone figure of a lion. When they neared, the lion seemed to move... it wasn't stone, it was alive!_

(( End Episode ))

Elora gazed at the dagger thinking, "Dark Art Dagger."

"Elora," Ahren's voice broke through her semi-trance, "Let's test what skill you have. Throw the dagger at one of the boards."

Elora's gaze shot to Ahren, "From here? I can't... they're all too far. How?" The dartboards were at least 50 feet away from her.

Ahren grinned, "Yes, from here. If you have the power inside you that I think you have, you will hit them all."

"Them ALL?" Elora shouted, "Are you crazy? I can't hit FOUR dartboards with ONE dagger?"

Ahren nodded and shouted, "Do it!"

"No!" Elora screamed, turning to walk out of the gym and whipping the dagger behind her. She heard four loud thumps, and Ahren's clapping.

"Good," Ahren said, "Very good."

Elora turned around, and to her amazement, all four dartboards had been split in half and had fallen to the ground. She stood in amazement while Ahren smiled at her, "And that was only your first try."

* * *

"I'm glad you all agreed to come here," Mr. Danen spoke to a group of men and women who sat at the table.

"Ahren, you say?" A woman wearing an orange and blue cloak said.

Mr. Danen nodded his head and replied to the woman, "Yes, Demine. He took Elora... well actually, a black dragon did, but Ahren did contact us to say that he had her."

"What do you think we can do?" asked a man in a dark blue cloak at the table, "I mean, we don't even know where he is."

Harry entered the room, "I know someone who could help."

Mr. Danen turned to Harry saying, "Harry. Come in, you're part of this too. Everyone," he turned to the group, "This is Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter? The boy who-" another man wearing a dark green and white cloak started, before Mr. Danen burst in saying, "Yes, Meguil, the same one."

"Well well," a woman wearing a pink cloak said, "It's nice to meet you, Harry. My name is Stacia. The lady across from me wearing the orange cloak is my sister Demine. To her left, wearing the dark green cloak is Meguil, and then there's Bob." 

Bob, the one wearing the blue cloak, walked up and shook Harry's hand saying, "My real name is Benjamin Orion Bernard... Bob for short. It's a pleasure to meet you Harry."

"Harry," Mr. Danen said, "Who's this friend who can help us?"

"Do you know about Cecil?" Harry said, "He has the powers of all the elements now, and I'm sure he knows almost everything that goes on around here."

"I've heard of him," Demine said, "But how can we contact him?"

"Only Elora's Guard could contact him, but I think I've got an idea." Harry said, then ran out of the room yelling, "I'll be back in 20!" and ran out of the house, towards the forest where Virtue and Luno stayed.

When Harry got to the forest, Virtue stepped out of the woods, with Luno by her side, and neighed softly. "Virtue," Harry said, "Elora has been kidnapped. I need you to help my try to contact Cecil." 

Virtue neighed softly again, and Cecil appeared out of the forest beside them. "Hi Harry," Cecil said, "I know."

"How?" Harry exclaimed.

Cecil stroked Virtue's mane and replied, "I am capable of knowing it all, Harry, but the one thing I don't know is where the dragon took Elora."

"Shoot, there goes that plan." Harry said, but like many other times, he talks to fast.

"Not necessarily, Harry." came a crisp deep voice from behind Harry. Harry turned, and in front of him, Luno appeared, a sparkling image of himself.

"Luno?" Harry asked, "Can you help?"

"Not this Luno, Harry." Luno said, and pointed to the small foal Elora had named Luno, "But that one, and her mother, can."

Harry took a quick glance at the two Unicorns, "How can they help?"

A twinkling, small voice rang through Harry's head, "We know more than you think." Harry turned to Virtue, the horn in the center of her forehead shone; she had talked to him. Harry couldn't believe it, he must've been dreaming.

"Harry," Luno (not the foal) said, "Virtue will fly you to Elora. Trust her."

"Fly?" Harry exclaimed, "Virtue's a UNICORN! She can't fly!"

"Trust her, Harry." Luno's voice faded as he too faded away. When Harry turned to Cecil, he had also disappeared. Virtue neighed softly.

Harry shook his head and took belief in what Luno had told him, but first he must tell the others the plan.


	5. Tales of Lore - Chapter 5

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales of Lore** (CH5)  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)

"Virtue?" exclaimed Mr. Danen after Harry told him what Luno (not the foal) had said.

"Wonder what he means?" Bob pondered.

"He could be talking about a Pegasus." Demine said, then giggled, "I've always loved Pegasi."

Stacia rolled her eyes, "But Virtue's a Unicorn, Demine, I've never seen a Unicorn fly before."

"Well," Bob stood up, "Let's see what this Luno meant."

The whole group then made their way outside, where Virtue with Luno (the foal) by her side waited for Harry. Virtue knelt down to let Harry climb on her back. 

"Harry," Mr. Danen said, "Bring my daughter back safely."

"I will. I wouldn't do it any other way." Harry replied. He looked over to the master bedroom window where Mrs. Danen stood, watching, and wondering; she was still upset with Mr. Danen. She waved to Harry, and Harry waved back.

Virtue, with Harry on her back, trotted away to a solid mud path that led up the hills of the valley, Luno ran at her side. Harry thought to himself, "I still don't see how Virtue can fly." When the got to the top, Harry could easily see they were heading towards a cliff. "Virtue... hey... hey... STOP!" he shouted, but Virtue didn't stop. Instead she, with Luno at her side, jumped off the cliff. Harry closed his eyes.

They were falling... falling... falling... FLYING! Harry could feel the beat of wings against his legs, and the wind brushing past his face. He opened his eyes and indeed they were flying. He looked at Virtue; still the same Unicorn, but she had white WINGS, which shimmered, and their span was almost twice her body size. Luno, who flew in loops around them, had the same wings her mother had.

Harry smiled, "Wow."

Virtue's horn started to glow, as her tingling voice rang through Harry's head, "You understand now, do you?"

"Yes, Virtue. But what are you?" Harry asked.

"We are Unicorns, Harry," came the giggling voice of a child, it was Luno!

Harry blinked at Luno; "You can talk as well?"

Luno neighed softly and nodded, her horn (about 5 inches high) glew like Virtue's when she talked to Harry, "Of course."

Harry smiled, "Well, I know you're Unicorns, but you're much different than the rest, aren't you?"

"We're Winged Unicorns, Harry," Virtue said, "When we entered the forest behind the house, Luno came to us. He gave us the power to talk telepathically, and fly!"

"That's what he meant when-" Harry started to say, but stopped when Virtue stopped flying straight, and instead flapped her wings and hovered in mid-air, "Why'd you stop?"

"We're here," she said.

Harry looked down towards a large stone gray castle, with large walls and towers on each corner. Virtue flew down to the ground, in a small forest. "Why don't we go into the castle?" Harry asked.

"We must not be seen, Harry, you must go in alone," Virtue said, "Also, there is a magic discharge spell around the castle. You will not be able to use magic, if we enter, we will not be able to fly."

"I see," Harry said, and hopped off Virtue's back, "So then, what do I do? How do I get in?"

Cecil appeared behind him and said, "I can get us in, Harry."

Harry turned around saying, "Us? You want to come along as well? But with the magic discharge your powers-"

"Will cease to exist until we're out. I know, Harry, but for Elora, I'd give my life." Cecil said, "Com'n. Let's go rescue a damsel in distress, it's the knightly thing to do." He walked out of the forest heading towards the large stone castle. Harry growled lightly and followed behind him.

* * *

So far in the gym, Elora was on a roll. She loved what she could do with the Dark Arts Ahren had been teaching her. So far she had mastered the Dark Art Daggers, and they were hers, and now she was into the power part of it all... the only thing is, she was starting to forget things like, who's this name that ran through her head? Harry... Harry... Harry? She didn't care now.

"Good, good," Ahren said, "You're doing great Elora! Now, try the orb with the dagger, it's a combination you should master in seconds."

For the past 20 minutes, after the mastering of the Dark Art Daggers, Elora had been learning how to create an orb from a parallel place Ahren called 'The Realm'. Elora took out one of the daggers from the table in front of her, and holding it firmly in her hand, looked at it closely. She seemed to vaguely remember something about a man and woman she loved dearly, a valley, and another person... she couldn't put her finger on it. She shrugged if off, and soon enough the blade of the dagger she held started to flicker with a what looked like a black fire.

"You've done it!" Ahren said, leaning over the table with a giant grin on his face, "I knew you could!"

"What have I done?" Elora asked.

"You've created the Shadow Flame, even I couldn't do that. He'll be very proud."

"Who's he?" Elora asked, but then she suddenly felt woozy, the flame around the blade grew larger, and she fainted. Ahren caught her, and she saw his face before she blacked out.

--*--*--*--

Elora woke up, laying on a stone box in the middle of the courtyard in Castle Gray, she sat up and Ahren walked over to her saying, "Lay down, Elora, this will only be a moment." 

Elora lay back down and asked, "What will?"

Ahren replied, "Your turning, my dear." He lifted his arms to the sky, which was clouded over, and a thundering echoed through the courtyard. Elora looked up to the gray clouded sky, and gasped when she saw a gray spiraling twister appear above her.

It headed down towards her, and she started to lift off the stone she lay upon. The twister formed around her.

Then, one of the walls of the castle broke, and two figures stepped through the dust. They were yelling her name, and Ahren fought them, so she knew they were her enemy. When the twister let her down on the ground, she joined in with Ahren, pulling out the daggers she had on her cloak.

The two men who had broken into the castle stopped, and looked at Elora. One of them, a tall man with long dark hair tied in a braid down his back, mumbled, "What happened to you?"

Elora then took the time to look at herself. She was older, about 20; her hair was longer, but still kept the white bangs. She looked at Ahren, who smiled at her and pointed to the two intruders saying, "Exile them."

Elora nodded, turned to the two intruders, holding one of the Dark Art Daggers in her hand, and grinned. The dagger floated above her palm, spun, and she sent it flying towards the intruders. It blew up in front of them; the blast sent them flying above the wall and far away from the castle.

She clapped her hands together saying, "That'll teach them."

Ahren gave her a hug, and almost crying he said, "My daughter."

Elora hugged him back whispering, "Father"

* * *

Virtue had caught Cecil and Harry who had somehow been blasted over the wall of the castle. They lay over her back, and she flew back to the Valley, with Luno at her side.

When they reached the Valley, Mr. Danen and the others rushed out the door and to them. "What happened?" Mr. Danen shouted, and started to shake Harry. 

Harry woke up, and slid off Virtue's back. He stummbled on his feet and on his words, "We have a problem."


	6. Tales of Lore - Chapter 6

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales of Lore** (CH6)  
by Katie Davidson

Mr. Danen slammed his fist against the table, leaned down on it, and almost cried saying, "It can't be! Not Elora! Anything but Elora."

"Dennis," Mrs. Danen said in a calm voice.

Mr. Danen turned as his wife came up to him and they embraced, she cried even more now, she heard what had happened. "Sherri," Mr. Danen said, trying to calm his wife. "She's just under a Dark spell, remember that, just a strong, Dark Arts spell."

"What I can't understand is why she changed?" Cecil asked, he sat next to Bob and Demine kept looking him over, blushing every time he looked at her.

"I thought you knew everything Cecil," Harry snickered.

"Give me a break Harry," Cecil growled, "The Dark Arts is something way out of my bounds. The only person who would really know about this stuff is someone like Voldemort."

"What about a teacher?" the sniffling voice of Mrs. Danen suggested.

"Professor Lupin, or even," Harry shuttered, "Snape."

"It could work," Meguil said, "Let's send note to them immediately."

Mr. Danen and Harry started writing notes to Professor Lupin and Snape, and even to Dumbledore just in case. They sent the parchments off with Angel (Elora's owl), Hedwig (Harry's owl), and Mercucious (Bob's owl). They sent them off into the valley, where the sun was setting beyond the hills. "How long do you think it'll be before we get a reply?" Mrs. Danen asked.

Mr. Danen held her close saying, "Depending on where they are, Sherri, it may take a couple days."

* * *

Elora, with Ahren at her side, walked up the stone staircase to their rooms. "Father," Elora asked, "Who were those two men?"

"No one who should interfere again." Ahren replied.

"It's just," Elora moaned slightly, "They seemed familiar to me in a way."

They stopped at Elora's bedroom, and Ahren took her lightly by both arms, and kissed her on the forehead. "Don't worry about them, my dear. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day."

Elora smiled, opening the door to her room (which had changed from the one she knew at home to a stone walled, dark and dismal room) and said, "Good night, Father."

"Sweet dreams," Ahren said, as Elora closed the door.

"Ahren," a silent, deep, echoing voice came from down the staircase. Ahren walked down the stairs and into the gym. In the center of the gym a stone lion sat, it's mouth moved to every word it said, "Will the girl be ready tomorrow?"

Ahren knelt down on one knee and bowed his head to the lion, "Yes, my lord. She has already turned and tomorrow you will meet her."

The lion roared, "She will die, Ahren."

Ahren lifted his head and stood up, shouting, "We did not agree to that!"

The lion roared again, "We will not tolerate that sort of tone."

"We?" Ahren said, "Who is we?"

From behind the lion, a pale faced dark haired, black cloaked man appeared. He cackled loudly, though there was no expression on his face, "You didn't think you could do it alone, did you Ahren?"

Ahren growled, "Voldemort."

"Yes!" Voldemort exclaimed. "You have done something I failed to do a while ago. I thank you for it. I still need you, Ahren."

"And why would the great Dark lord Voldemort need a petty Dark Arts master like me?"

"Because the girl thinks you are her father, Ahren. She will do anything you ask her to," Voldemort replied. "Tomorrow, take her to The Realm as planned. It will come together after that." He thought for a moment, "Where is the girl now?"

Ahren sneered, "In her room sleeping."

Voldemort stepped forward, "I think I'll pay her a little visit."

Ahren stopped him, grasping his arm tightly he snarled, "Don't hurt her."

Voldemort gave a short grin and pulled away from him saying, "Not until tomorrow." He walked out of the gym and up the stairs to Elora's room. He opened to door and entered quietly. 

Elora lay fast asleep on the bed near the window. The light from the hall cast Voldemort's shadow on the wall and it disappeared when he closed the door. The only light that lit the room was from the moonlight. Voldemort walked over to her dresser. The Dark Arts Daggers lay in a row and their dark handles glistened in the moonlight. He growled silently, "What if I were to kill her now, with the daggers?"

Elora, still asleep, moved under the sheets of the bed. Voldemort turned his head to her and he grabbed one of the daggers then walked over to her. The moonlight cast a slow shadow over Elora as he neared the bed; he sat on the edge of the bed, dagger in his hand, and ran the blade over her arm up to her neck. "To do it now, would it make the difference?"

"Not on your life," a whisper came from the shadows, and Voldemort found his arms behind his back, the dagger gone from his hand, and its cold metal blade against his neck. 

Elora had him in that position on the bed when Ahren burst into her room shouting, "Are you all right?"

"Oh yeah," Elora said, tightening her grip on Voldemort. "Who's this weasel?"

Ahren lit the torches in Elora's room and laughed, "He is Voldemort, my dear."

Elora let him go, in shock of whom it was she held saying, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know... I mean,"

"Quite all right," Voldemort said, raising to his feet and rubbing his neck (which had almost been cut). He looked at Elora in the torchlight, the silky gray nightgown she wore clung to every inch and curve of her body, and her long brown hair reached down to her hips and the white bangs fell over her face. She pulled them away and Voldemort saw that the blue that was once in her eyes has nearly disappeared, and a black onyx clouded them over. Voldemort cleared his throat. "You've certainly changed since we last met."

"Have we met before, my lord? If we have I am sorry, I cannot remember." Elora said. "Will you be staying for the night?" She let the dagger she held float to the dresser with the others.

"Of course he will," Ahren said, opening the door for Voldemort. "He just entered the wrong room. My lord, your room is across the hall, this way please."

Voldemort exited, casting one last look to Elora, who curtsied to him saying, "Good night."

Ahren closed the door and immediately pushed Voldemort against the adjacent wall growling, "What did you think you were doing?"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes; "You will not speak to me that way."

"I can speak to you in any way I dare so wish, Voldemort. This is my castle, and that is my daughter, you have no power here. I told you not to hurt her, and I will fight to keep her alive tomorrow."

Voldemort pushed Ahren away from him saying, "I just may change her sentence. When is the spell predicted to completely take over?"

"Tomorrow night, during the full moon." Ahren replied. "But if you're to sacrifice her, it won't have a chance."

"Then we'll wait." Voldemort said. "The ceremony can wait till another day." He entered his room and before closing the door, he asked Ahren, "Why did she change like that?".

Ahren sneered to him, "I didn't expect it to do that. The spell works different depending on whether or not the bearer has dark soul. She must have had a hidden darkness." A short laugh came from Voldemort. "What is it?" Ahren asked.

"It didn't go away." Voldemort replied.

"What didn't?" Ahren asked again.

"The darkness within her... it stayed." Voldemort replied, then closed the door and Ahren heard an evil laugh from inside the room.


	7. Tales of Lore - Chapter 7

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales of Lore** (CH7)  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)

The next morning Harry sat next to the window. He didn't sleep a wink last night, thinking about Elora all night. He kept watching the sky's looking for a response from Lupin, Dumbledore, or even Snape - any one who might be able to help them.

Then it came, he saw Dumbledore walk to the door of the house. How did he get it so fast? Wait, Harry shouldn't think that, Dumbledore has always been a wonder, and he didn't care right now... he was here. Harry ran down the stairs and met him at the door, Mr. Danen was already talking to him in the front entrance, "Nice to see you again, sir."

"Albus, please." Dumbledore replied, then looked over to Harry. "Harry, I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner." Just then, Hedwig flew to Harry from behind Dumbledore.

Harry patted Hedwig gently and followed Mr. Danen and Dumbledore into the dining room where Cecil sat, drawing something on a piece of parchment. Cecil looked over to Dumbledore and greeted him; "You must be Professor Dumbledore. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Cecil."

"Cecil, I heard of you from Elora." Dumbledore said, then stopped when he saw Cecil drop his head and go back to his drawing. "What is that you're drawing?"

"Just about finished," Cecil said, dropping the pencil, and lifting the paper to show everyone. It was a sketch of Elora, as she was the last time they saw her in Castle Gray. They cloak draped over her tall, 20-year-old body, her long dark hair almost to her hips, and the lightened areas of the sketch on her bangs showing the white that would stay no matter what happened.

"Is this Elora?" Dumbledore said, taking the parchment from Cecil. "She couldn't have grown this much in a few months.

"We don't know what happened to do that to her." Mr. Danen said, taking a look at the picture, and turning to Cecil who blushed. "You captured her almost too perfectly."

Cecil coughed lightly, "Well. Now, what are we going to do?"

A knock on the door startled them. Mr. Danen went to the door, opened it, and Professor Lupin stepped into the lobby. "I got the message," he said.

"Come in, you must be Professor Lupin. The others are this way," Mr. Danen said, leading Lupin into the dining room.

Dumbledore gave the sketch to Lupin and said, "What can you make of it?"

Lupin looked the picture over and whistled, "This is Elora? Well, hum... now." He laughed, "I've never seen anything like it. Well I mean, I have, but the spell is hard to come by."

"What sort of spell is it?" Harry asked.

"Well, it's a rare one, Harry. Only found in the Dark Arts, as you already know. Now, what's it called again?" Lupin thought.

"Loretrick," a harsh voice said from behind Lupin. Snape had let himself in.

"Severus!" Dumbledore said. "How nice it is to see you here."

Snape sneered to Harry. "Yes. I thought that maybe you could use my expertise. Now, let me see that sketch," he said, tearing the sketch away from Lupin's hands. He looked it over, a grin overcame his face as he said, "This is definitely the Loretrick. When did this happen?"

"Last night," Harry told Snape.

"Then you don't have much time. The spell completes at the next full moon." Snape said, looking to Lupin he asked, "And that would be?"

"Tonight," Lupin replied, "Shoot!"

"You better get going then," Snape sneered as Lupin said his good-byes and ran out the door.

"Hey you," Cecil barked to Snape, "What's your problem?"

Snape sneered towards Cecil and growled, "It's none of your business." He looked over to Harry, "Where did you last see her?"

"In a castle... Virtue took me." Harry said.

"Would you be able to get there again, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Hum... I think, yes." Harry replied. "How we gonna get there?"

"Let me see; we have a vast selection: Fly, Ride, or Walk. What would be best?" Cecil replied with sarcasm in his tone. "I know how I'm gonna get there, now what about the rest of you?"

"We can take the Magic Carpets, I've got two of them." Mr. Danen said.

Cecil nodded, "All right then, Harry... you lead since you know how to get there."

Harry nodded back and let Hedwig go as he shouted, "Let's go!"

* * *

**_A/N: I present to you... a softer side to an ultimate enemy. Tell me what you think..._**

Elora, dressed in a long silk gray robe, a hood over her head covering her hair except for the white bangs which she let hang out, stood between Ahren and Voldemort, holding her hands together as the sleeves of the robes draped over them. They stood in the courtyard of Castle Gray near the far wall where a large mirror stood, the frame decorated with hooded figures, demons, and gargoyles. It was the gateway to The Realm, which was to be their next stop.

Ahren grabbed both of Elora's arms gently and turned her to look at him saying, "Are you ready my dear? If you are not, we should not go."

Elora looked into Ahren's eyes, "I am more ready now then I shall ever be, Father."

Voldemort thought to himself; _"What is it about this girl that captivates me so? Once I tried to take over her mind... tried to kill her and I try again... but something has changed."_

"Elora," Ahren continued to tell Elora. "If you are not ready to enter The Realm..."

"I know, Father. I'm ready. Please believe me." Elora replied.

Ahren let go of her and nodded, "All right. I'll go first." Ahren stepped forwards and stepped into the mirror. The glass rippled and soon he disappeared.

Elora watched as he disappeared into the mirror, and she was to go next. She stepped forward when -CRASH! - The walls of the castle crashed to the stone floor. Dust covered the courtyard and Elora gasped for air. When the dust cleared in front of her she saw that the bricks from the wall that had toppled over it had crushed the mirror. Without the mirror she couldn't get to The Realm, where Ahren stood trapped.

She growled and looked around to see who had invaded her Castle. Five figures walked over the broken stones of the wall. She pulled out one of the Dark Art Daggers and stepped back beside Voldemort, who stood calmly with a sneer on his face whispering, "Who do we have here?"

The figures came into view: Harry, Mr. Danen, Cecil, Dumbledore, and Snape. "Who are you?" she shouted.

"Elora," Cecil said. "Get away from him!"

"You cannot tell me what to do! Get out of here!" she screamed, readying to throw the dagger at them, but Voldemort stopped her. "What are you doing?" she sneered to him.

"Do not waste the power of those daggers." Voldemort said. "Not on the likes of these fools."

"But the mirror... The Realm... My Father!" Elora cried.

"I know another way. We must go, now..." Voldemort said, and they disappeared in a slow cyclone of darkness.

"Elora!" Harry shouted as they disappeared.

Dumbledore placed a hand on Harry's shoulder saying, "She's gone Harry."

"Almost," Snape said, "She hasn't turned completely. Not until tonight."

"I heard something about a 'Realm'." Mr. Danen muttered. "The Realm, to be exact."

"THE Realm?" Cecil shouted. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Why?" Mr. Danen replied to Cecil, glaring at him curiously. "What do you know about it?"

Cecil stepped back slightly saying, "It's basically like THE place for Darkness. A lair caught between Dreams and Reality, where Nightmares are created."

"Then what would Voldemort want with The Realm?" Harry asked. "And Elora at that?"

"Enough with the chit-chat!" Snape barked. "Cecil," his cold stare turned to Cecil, "How can we get to this Realm?"

"We don't want to go there... no way, no how." Cecil said, shaking his head.

"Pull yourself together man!" Mr. Danen said, shaking Cecil. "I want my daughter back! Tell us how to get there."

Cecil pushed away Mr. Danen and shouted, "All right! I'll take you to an entrance I know of, but I won't be going with you."

"Fine with me," Harry said, folding his arms over his chest and grinning lightly.

* * *

Voldemort and Elora appeared in front a set of large stone doors, carved with the same creatures that had framed the mirror. They stood in a large, circular, dark cavern. It was damp, and only the light from a few torches gave them sight.

"What is this place?" Elora asked.

"My second home," Voldemort replied. "These are the doors to The Realm. I am the only one who knows of them, for a dark enchantment covers this area, hiding its existence from that of the seekers."

"Then let's open them!" Elora shouted, reaching out to the door. Voldemort grabbed her and pulled her away from the door, they crashed to the walls of the cavern as screams were heard emitting from the stone doors, and a blast of dark light seeped from the cracks.

Voldemort sheltered Elora from the blast against the wall. He shouted to her, "You must not do that!" But stopped any more yelling as he looked into Elora's onyx eyes. 

Her breath was heavy from the shock of the blast, and her chest heaved as she muttered, "I'm sorry." She caught her breath and asked, "What was that?"

Voldemort pulled away from her and replied, "A defense spell. It attacks anyone who should near it as you did."

"Then how do we get in?" Elora asked, walking towards the doors but not too close, gazing at the figures engraved on it.

Voldemort looked at her, the hood had fallen from her head, and her dark hair moved with a slight breeze that came from the tunnel connected to the cavern, and she wore silver silk gloves on her hands. He shook his head and walked over to her, pushing her back and behind him saying, "Stand back."

He looked straight at the door and shouted, "I command thee, demons of The Realm, to give us passage to the lair of Nightmares."

A haunting scream echoed through the cavern that would give anyone the goosebumps, and so it did give Elora, Voldemort could feel her shiver from behind him. He stepped back, as did Elora, as the stone doors creaked open. Dark shadows moved out from the doors and started circling and rising around them. Elora wanted to scream, but Voldemort placed a hand on her mouth to stop her and whispered, "Silence. They are the guardians of doorway. They must first make sure we are worthy to enter."

Elora watched the shadows move around them. Then they stopped and returned to where they had come from. A deep roar echoed through the cavern saying, "Enter."

Voldemort took his hand off of Elora's mouth and took her by the arm. Pulling her forward they stepped over the threshold of gateway, and entered The Realm. The doors slammed shut behind them, and Elora stood in a lair completely covered by shadows. The floor she stood on was glass. The glass created a path, twisting and turning in each and every direction beyond the darkness. Ahren ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "You made it," he whispered.

Ahren let go of Elora; the sight of the extravagant area stunned her. Ahren looked over to Voldemort and said, "I saw what you did when Elora was going to try to open the doors herself. You saved her... why?"

"She's much to important to be killed by a defense spell." Voldemort replied.

Ahren smiled, "Important for what?"

"Silence!" Voldemort barked. "Let's get on with this." 

He grabbed Elora's arm again and pulled her along, Ahren stopped him and tore his grip off from Elora growling, "I will take her."

"Fine," Voldemort sneered. "Remember Ahren. Your powers are not as strong here as they were in your Castle. Watch your back," and with his robes floating behind him he walked forward.

"Father?" Elora said. "What's going to happen?"

Ahren looked to Elora and with a smile on his face he comforted her, "Hush, my dear. Nothing will happen to you, I promise."


	8. Tales of Lore - Chapter 8

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales of Lore** (CH8)  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)

A/N: This is a short chapter but a good twist of things. Okay, yes.. I'm getting lazy. But I'm also writing another Fic: **The Nightmoon Saga**. So I have one idea in my head and another idea for another chapter of the other fic, and they're both getting interesting and sometimes I mix up what's supposed to happen next as I write each chapter. So bear with me, thanks. ^_^ 

The rating on this Chapter is because of a little blood. Nothing more really. Please R/R: Tell me what you think so far and what you think should happen.

* * *

Cecil, Dumbledore, Harry, Snape, and Mr. Danen stood in front of old Oak Tree. The base of the tree was about 10 feet wide, and the tree was as tall as a house. They had walked into an old forest just beyond the valley Mr. Danen called home.

"Now what?" Harry asked, gazing at the old tree.

Cecil sighed, "This is a very old entrance into The Realm, Harry. I'm not even sure it works any more."

Dumbledore touched the trunk of the tree, it was hard as, well... wood. Snape growled when he saw this; "So how does it work?"

"Snape," Cecil shouted. "Touch it."

Dumbledore stepped out of the way of the tree to let Snape touch it. Snape sneered at Cecil as he reached out to the tree and suddenly disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Dumbledore asked.

"The gateway's open now. You can each enter, but quickly, the entrance might close." Cecil said, then disappeared into the forest.

One by one Dumbledore, Mr. Danen, then Harry disappeared as they touched the old Oak tree. Then, they stood in a dark area where glass blocks created a path through the darkness. "Is this The Realm?" Harry asked.

"Seems so," Mr. Danen replied looking around the area. "Now, which way do we go?"

Snape and Dumbledore had already set off down the glass block path. Harry and Mr. Danen ran up to catch up with them. They walked down the path until they saw Elora, Ahren, and Voldemort standing in the center of a large glass-floored circular platform. Harry shouted, "Elora!" and ran forward. - THUMP - he fell to the ground. He couldn't enter the platform because the path wasn't connected to it. It was like being in a glass house; you could only enter in a certain way.

"Who are they, father?" Elora asked Ahren. "How did they get here?"

Ahren growled to them and replied to Elora's question, "They are the enemy my dear, and they will not stop what we have to do. Now start, my dear, Lore awaits."

Elora, at the command of Ahren, took out the three Dark Art Daggers and let go of them... they didn't fall to the ground, but floated in mid-air. Voldemort watched her carefully as she closed her eyes and chanted;

"Lore, guardian of Nightmares, I command thee, give me the power of Darkness, so that the worlds as I know them will perish under my command."

"What's going on?" Mr. Danen asked, watching the daggers in front of Elora float from a far.

"It's the finishing," Snape snarled then quickly ran another way to try to find a way around and into the platform. The others followed him, and soon were separated down different paths.

"Voldemort," Ahren sneered. "Watch her, I'm going to go finish off those four."

Voldemort laughed briefly; "Good luck then."

Ahren ran out of the platform and headed towards Snape's position.

Voldemort, being that he knew what would happen next, watched Elora carefully. He whispered to himself, "Ahren, you should be here. Too bad you don't know what'll happen next."

The daggers in front of Elora spun around, the blades facing Elora. Their black handles glistened and they were soon surrounded by a dark aura. Then, they flew forward, each embedding their blades into Elora's stomach.

Elora opened her eyes and screamed in pain... a thunderous roar echoed. Ahren, who had been fighting with Snape, stopped and looked towards Elora. Both Ahren and Mr. Danen shouted, "Elora!"

Elora had fallen back into Voldemort's arms, blood ran down the sides and stained the cloak she wore. Voldemort brushed away the hair on Elora's face and set her down on the ground gently saying, "The pain will only last a moment."

The handles of the daggers embedded themselves into Elora's body and blood that dripped down siphoned into the wounds as they closed up. Elora's body was now surrounded in the dark aura that surrounded the daggers, she raised to her feet and like there was a strong wind, her hair flew all over the place and she rose off the ground.

Voldemort looked up to her and grinned; "It's done."

Ahren smiled and ran off back to the glass platform. Mr. Danen tackled him to the ground from behind shouting, "What have you done to my daughter?"

Ahren sneered, "She's my daughter now, Dennis," and pushed Mr. Danen off of him and into the glass wall. 

Elora appeared in front of Ahren, facing Snape, Dumbledore, and Harry who helped Mr. Danen on his feet. "Elora, don't you know me?" Mr. Danen said. "I'm your father!"

"You are not my father!" Elora shouted as black bolts coming from her hands struck Mr. Danen to the ground again.

Voldemort walked up behind Ahren and Elora and stood beside Elora, and his arms crossed across his chest he laughed, "It's done. She has the power of darkness and all Dark Art powers' will increase as her powers grow. You cannot stop it,"

"You will not stop it," Ahren said. "Come time; the lands will grow dark..."

Voldemort sneered, "The sun and moon will not shine any light on the worlds. Darkness will prevail... and your only hope is the one who has done the deed."

Elora, Voldemort, and Ahren then disappeared in amongst the shadows and Harry, Dumbledore, Mr. Danen and Snape found themselves back in the valley. 

Harry asked, "What did he mean when he said 'your only hope is the one who had done the deed'?"

"Potter, think about it." Snape growled. "I'm leaving." And so he did. (( A/N: Okay, a bad way to get rid of Snape but I didn't want to deal with him because... he is a nuisance, isn't he? ))

Dumbledore put one hand on Harry's shoulder, "Talk to Cecil about it. He should know." And Dumbledore too left.

Mrs. Danen ran out the door of the house shouting, "What happened?" She fell into the arms of her husband.

Mr. Danen held his wife close, "All is lost, Sherri. Our hope is gone."

Mrs. Danen cried into her husband's shoulder screaming, "Elora!"


	9. Tales of Lore - Chapter 9

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales of Lore** (CH9)  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)

A/N: A longer chapter... and another Guardian? What's the world coming to!? DARKNESS! MWUAHAHAHA! *evil glare*

* * *

Cecil sat calmly by the fire in his cabin, turning the page of a black covered book which was titled 'Dark Prophecies'. Suddenly, Harry came charging into his cabin shouting, "Cecil! You owe me an explanation!"

Cecil looked up to him saying, "No, I don't."

Harry calmed himself, "I know you don't, I just always wanted to say that. So, did you find anything?"

Cecil turned the page again, hummed to himself and replied, "So you say Lupin sent you this book, huh?"

"Yep," Harry replied, hanging up his coat then taking a seat next to Cecil. "Anything in there that can help us?"

Cecil read a darkly encrypted page in the book, "Come time; the lands will grow dark. The sun and moon will not shine light upon the worlds. Darkness will prevail, and the only hope will be the one who has done the deed."

Harry gasped, "That's what Voldemort and that guy, Ahren, said."

"Really?" Cecil hummed, "Well. It's the 'Dark Lore' prophecy come to life now." Suddenly, the book forced itself shut.

"Why'd you shut the book?" Harry asked.

"I," Cecil studdered, "Didn't... It shut itself, I swear!"

Eerie screams emitted from the book and echoed around the cabin. Shadows swept across the cabin and all lights went out, they were in total darkness. A deafening scream roared throughout the cabin, Cecil and Harry covered their ears as a dim light, like dark fire, appeared in a flaming circle in the middle of the cabin, and Elora, wearing dark clothes, appeared in the midst of it. The deafening scream subsided, and Harry and Cecil took their hands off their ears carefully.

"Elora?" Cecil said, looking at the tall girl that stood in the center of the flaming circle of dark fire.

Elora laughed a dark and cold laugh, "Cecil. Guardian of the elements Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth, I've come for you. Join me..."

"Never!" Cecil shouted.

"Elora? What's happened to you?" Harry growled.

Elora's cold onyx eyes stared at Harry, she stepped out of the circle of fire and walked towards him whispering, "Harry Potter. You, as a child, almost defeated the Dark Lord, Voldemort. I remember you." She walked around Harry, studying him carefully, and brushed away the hair from his forehead which covered the lightning shaped scar.

"Elora," Harry whispered, "I loved you, and I still do. Please come back to me."

Elora narrowed her eyes and grinned, "I am who I must be now. I can rid you of all your burdens, Harry. I have the power to destroy it." She gently touched the scar on his forehead and Harry's forehead burned; he pulled back and growled under the pain. It was like Voldemort had touched him.

The pain subsided and Harry stood up. Cecil's jaw dropped and he studdered, "Ha-Harry."

Harry looked at Cecil growling, "What is it?"

Cecil pointed towards a mirror, which hung on the far wall of the cabin. Harry walked toward it, and seeing his reflection in the mirror, to his amazement, his scar was... GONE! "How?" Harry muttered to himself.

Elora appeared behind him and gently stroked his cheek, "The burden that once was is now gone, Harry. Join me now, and you can reach powers you never thought possible."

Harry turned around, pushing Elora away from him, and shouted, "Never!" His scar then reappeared on his forehead; it was just an illusion.

Elora floated up into the air and laughed, "So be it!" She turned to Cecil; a long grin fell across her face. "One more chance to reconsider joining me, Cecil. What will it be?"

Cecil growled, "Never!"

Elora, disappointed, sneered, "Then you will both DIE!" She was then engulfed in the circle of black fire in which she appeared in and disappeared from the cabin.

The shadows around them circled faster and faster; Harry and Cecil could feel as though the gravity in the cabin was growing larger and thus they felt heavier. The shadows past through and around them, they felt they were growing weaker; disoriented, they didn't know what to do.

They heard a pounding and cracking... the door of the cabin broke to the ground and Virtue came rushing into the cabin, her horn glowing furiously. The light shone around the cabin and a figure appeared from the light of her horn. It was Luno (not the foal)! The light scared away the shadows, and the figure of Luno disappeared as the shadows too had gone.

Harry and Cecil rose to their feet, looking around as they got their strength back. Harry looked at Virtue and said, "Virtue?"

"Harry," the Unicorn's voice rang through Harry's head. "Something's wrong with Luno. My foal, she's... turning."

"Turning?" Harry asked.

"Oh no," Cecil exclaimed.

* * *

Elora appeared in The Realm the same way she had appeared in Cecil's cabin. "Any luck?" Ahren asked her.

Elora growled, "No." She leaned over a large glass bowl filled with water and stared at her reflection, a not very please Elora was she. Voldemort walked up behind her, the same expression she had on her face had been plastered on his. Elora sneered, "Don't even say a word."

Voldemort's harsh expressions turned into a taunting smile, "Not a word, my dear. But, I hope you took care of them."

"I let the shadows take care of them." She said.

Voldemort forced her around; slapping her across the face, and then pushed her into the water screaming, "You should have taken care of them on the spot!"

"Voldemort!" Ahren growled. "Leave her alone!"

Voldemort turned to Ahren, pointed to the drenched Elora sitting in the glass bowl and shouted, "Teach your daughter proper killing techniques or I will kill her! Understand?" He turned and disappeared in another area of The Realm.

Ahren helped Elora out of the glass bowl she sat in saying, "Elora, my dear, you have mastered many techniques but it seems you feel you cannot kill."

"Father," Elora said as a cyclone of dark fire rose from foot to head, drying her clothes off. "I just felt - I don't know." She lowered her head and muttered, "I'm sorry."

Ahren lifted Elora head and looked into her onyx eyes whispering, "You will do it next time, my dear. Now, how about some father - daughter dark rampage across the land, eh?"

Elora smiled, "Lovely idea."

* * *

In the forest where Virtue and Luno lived, in the valley the Danen's called home, Cecil, Harry, Mr. and Mrs. Danen stood looking at Luno who bucked around, chained to a giant tree.

"What could be happening to her?" Mrs. Danen asked.

Luno, the young unicorn foal, had changed: She had grown to the size of a full grown Unicorn, her silvery coat had turned dark… and her wings flapped furiously, the wingspan was great and she had already broken a few trees around them.

"She's turning just as Elora has," Cecil explained. "Elora and Luno are connected, and as she changes... so does Luno." "What do we do?" Harry asked. "I mean, she's soon going to break free of the chains and go to Elora, isn't she?"

"That would be the first thing, yes." Cecil said.

"Wait a minute!" Mr. Danen shouted. "If Luno's going to go straight to Elora, then why don't we follow her? That way she leads us straight to her!"

"Dennis, you're mad!" Mrs. Danen shouted. "We already know Elora is with Ahren and Voldemort in the Realm. Following Luno to The Realm wouldn't change anything. We need a plan against them."

"Oh," Mr. Danen sighed.

"I can't stand it any more." Virtue shouted, walking over to the chain that held Luno, she touched it with her horn and the chain broke. Luno, with a great flap of her wings, took off into the sky.

"What did you do that for?" Harry shouted to the Unicorn mother.

Virtue neighed softly, "I couldn't bear to see her chained, even if she turned to the dark side, Harry. No Unicorn should be chained like that."

"She's right Harry," Cecil said. "Luno would have escaped from the chains on her own. She'll turn back when Elora does."

"How do we turn Elora back to her normal self?" Harry growled. "The prophecy said 'the only hope is the one who has done the deed', and we already know that that means Elora, the Moon Guardian, is the only hope of stopping all this. She's the one who's done the deed, and we don't know how to get her back. It's hopeless!"

"Harry," a chiming voice echoed through the forest. Luno (not the foal) appeared in front of them. He wore a long white cloak and a cape sparkled behind him. He smiled at Harry. "Do not lose hope so quick."

"Luno!" Harry shouted. "Can you help us?"

"I will help all I can." Luno said.

Suddenly, the forest grew dark as a shadowy cloud covered the sky. Mr. and Mrs. Danen took out their wands and shouted, "Luminous!"

The light from their wands lit the forest around them. Harry looked at Luno, who seemed to be fading away. "Luno!" Harry shouted. "What's happening to you?"

"Harry," Luno's voice seemed to fade as he did to fade away. "Seek the hidden guardian. Seek the Sun Queen, she will help you, if it is not too late," and he disappeared completely.

"The Sun Queen?" Harry repeated. "How many guardians are there?"

"More than you want to know, Harry." Cecil chuckled. "Come on. Seems we have another quest on our hands."


	10. Tales of Lore - Chapter 10

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales of Lore** (CH10)  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)

Elora sat in her room on a stool made of stone in front of a stone gray mirror dressing table. She wore a silk gray nightgown and she brushed her hair gently as she hummed a calming song as she watched the bristles of the brush glide delicately through her ebony hair, the white bangs shimmering in her reflection.

The door of her room opened, and Voldemort glided into her room, closing the door behind him. Elora noticed him enter her room, and she placed her brush down, staring at him in the mirror. "What do you want?" she barked. She didn't think much of the great Voldemort now, after he slapped her and pushed her into icy water.

Voldemort's pale lips curled into a grin as he said, "I just wanted to apologize, my lady."

"Apologize?" Elora shouted as she raised from the stool and turned to Voldemort. "Why would you apologize to me?" She emphasized on the 'you' as she turned and headed to the window of her room, keeping her back to Voldemort.

She stared out the window of her room, the dark sky that been clouded over turned shades of gray as her onyx eyes stared at them. A roar like thunder rang through the clouds, and quick flashes appeared through the darkness of the night. Elora could feel Voldemort stand behind her, his deep, cold breaths upon her neck, and his clammy arms wrapping around her waist, and his cold voice whispering into her ear, "You fascinate me, Elora. I can sense the darkness within you. You're different from any other female I've encountered. But why is it that it's you?"

"What do you mean?"

"A while ago I tried to destroy you, do you remember?"

"No, I don't know what you mean."

Elora could hear a low growl come from Voldemort. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to her bed and forcing her down on it, pinning her to it. "Of course you wouldn't remember," he snarled. "That's a part of the Loretrick spell."

"Stop it! You're hurting me!" Elora screamed, struggling to free herself from Voldemort's grasp.

Voldemort tightened his grasp upon her wrists, Elora screamed again… he closed his eyes, he loved the scream of a female, it calmed his nerves. Then suddenly, Voldemort felt the cold grip of stone against his back. Elora had retaliated and forced Voldemort back, across the room, and smashed him against the adjacent wall. She had had enough of his harassment towards her; she growled and picked him up by the collar of his cloak. A dark cloud waved over her onyx eyes.

Ahren burst into her room, stopping suddenly as soon as he say that Elora had Voldemort a foot off the ground again the wall by his neck. He leaned against the wall and laughed. 

"Ahren! Get her off of me!" Voldemort choked.

Ahren wanted to keep a Kodak picture of this moment, but knew that it couldn't last, since Voldemort had a high part in this plan. "Elora, let him go," he said in a calm voice.

Elora then let go of Voldemort and backed off. Voldemort fell to the ground amongst the rubble that had fell from the wall when he hit it, he gasped to catch his breath, stood up, and growled to Elora, "You'll pay for this, girl!" He took his leave out the open door of her room. The harsh slam of the adjacent room's door was heard.

Ahren walked over to Elora and embraced her in his arms saying, "My daughter, your power is growing."

"I shouldn't have done that father." Elora said, looking her fathers' eyes. "But Voldemort... he..."

"Hush, my dear." Ahren said, holding her close. "I know. He's a snake if I've ever seen one, but be patient, my sweet. His time will come."

A loud, deep neigh was heard from the courtyard of Castle Gray. Elora ran over to the window, and in the dim light courtyard, she saw a full grown, black, winged unicorn. She cocked her eyebrows and the name, "Luno," came from her mouth.

She ran out of her room, down the steps, and into the courtyard of the castle. She wrapped her arms around the grand mare's neck and it neighed softly. Ahren stared at the winged creature from Elora's room window; he wondered where the creature came from, and why it was here, but it seemed Elora new the creature, so it was all right. He watched as she took the dark creature into the stables of the castle, and a soft lullaby echoed through the castle.

* * *

"Shoot." Harry exclaimed as the bottom of his cloak was being burned by flaming hot lava.

Harry and Cecil climbed the narrow path of a rock wall. They had entered the grounds of a Volcano, where they were to meet the Sun Queen.

"Harry, watch yourself." Cecil barked as Harry bumped into him.

"Sorry," Harry exclaimed. "Is it just me, or is this path getting smaller... and smaller... and smaller?" "We're almost at the end," Cecil comforted him as he turned the corner and entered a steaming tunnel. A river of molten rock swam past them on either side of the huge tunnel, creating a long, rocky path in the center of the tunnel, which extended a mile a head of them.

They started down the path. Sweat formed on their forehead, running down the sides of their faces, and creating sweat marks on their cloaks, which were unbuttoned to show the thin shirt underneath. They neared the end of the tunnel. Long stairs headed down through the darkness. Harry whined, "We have to climb all those?"

Cecil had already started down the stairs. Harry hesitantly followed.

Down...  
down...  
and down...  
they walked.

As it grew hotter...  
hotter...  
and hotter...  
until they reached the bottom.

A sudden cool wind fell upon their faces. Harry sighed under the coolness, "That's better." 

Cecil grabbed his arm and pulled him forward, "We're almost there Harry. We can't stop now, understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Harry replied. "How much longer?"

"Welcome," a voice echoed throughout the area. "To my home."

Harry's gaze rose up to the top of large platform where a tall woman wearing a bright red cloak sat. Her long, fiery red hair, the colour brighter than that of any of the Weasley's, flickered like fire uncontrollably. She stood up, holding a long staff where on the very top, a round flickering fireball (a miniature sun) spun. She glided down the steps of the platform to greet her guests. Her dark red eyes stared at them. Cecil bowed to the woman, and Harry followed, bowing to her.

"We have traveled many miles to seek audience of you, Queen Sundra." Cecil said.

Sundra nodded, "A knew this the first time you entered my domain, Cecil, guardian of the elements. The only way to know if your intentions were true was to make you go through the tests of the volcano. Braving the heat, and the climbs, have shown me that they are indeed true, and I welcome you to my home, and give you audience. Speak clearly and I will listen."

"Sundra, a darkness has pelted the lands and a dark prophecy has started its course. The moon guardian, a good friend, Elora, has fallen to a dark curse, and is the one in charge of the prophecies' dawning. We seek your assistance in hope that you would be able to help us."

"I understand," Sundra replied. "Follow me please."

Sundra led the two into a dark room, she held aloft her staff and in an instant the room illuminated to reveal a large room full of little, flickering flames every here and there. She waved her wand once to the right and the little flames gathered into one large fireball... and like a Discovery Channel promo on space, the Earth appeared, rotating on its axis in the midst of cold, dark space.

Harry awed at it and exclaimed, "Wow. How'd you-?"

Cecil hushed him, Harry growled to him, and turned his gaze back on the large fireball. The scene was now travelling over the lands, and seas, of Earth, stopping suddenly over a castle - Castle Gray, but Harry only remembered it as the place where he first saw Elora when she had changed.

"This is Castle Gray," Sundra said. "This is where your friend, Elora, sleeps in her chambers." She paused for a moment and continued, "Three others take refuge in the castle as well. Ahren, the Dark Arts master; Voldemort, the Dark Wizard; and a winged creature."

Suddenly, the vision reverted to inside the castle's stables, where Luno, the now huge, black winged unicorn lay in the hay, content and happy. "That's Luno," Harry told Sundra. "Elora was part of her birth."

"That explains why she has changed as such," Sundra hummed.

"Okay, now, this is all interested Sundra. How can we turn them back?" Cecil asked.

Sundra turned around and looked at Cecil, she smiled and said, "It is the Loretrick that turned them to the darkness, correct?"

"Yes," Harry answered. "So how do we reverse it?"

Sundra looked Harry over saying, "You are Harry Potter, the-"

"Yes, please spare me the whole 'Voldemort' thing, I've heard it sooo many times."

"All right, Harry," Sundra stopped shortly and continued, "The Loretrick is a dark curse created by Lore, the guardian of nightmares in The Realm. The only way to break his spell is to destroy the one who cast it."

Cecil burst in saying, "But we don't know who it was who cast the spell upon her?"

Sundra raised her head and said, "I do."

"Then who was it?" Harry shouted.

Sundra's eyes gazed at Harry and she whispered, "Voldemort."

Harry's head spun when she said the name. He growled, "So you mean we have to destroy Voldemort in order to free Elora from the Loretrick curse?"

"Easily said then done, eh, Harry?" Sundra said, tapping her staff on the ground as the fire sphere behind her vanished. She walked past them and back into her throne room.

"You're torturing me, Sundra!" Cecil shouted. "There has to be another way. The only cure can't be killing Voldemort. No one has been able to do that."

"Ah!" Sundra exclaimed, turning around and facing them. "I didn't say 'kill', now did I? Harry did it once before, he can do it again. Understand me?"

"But... but-" Harry studdered.

"There's duplicity in everything, my dears. Search between the lines of what you know to uncover the truth." Sundra's voice faded and soon Harry and Cecil found themselves outside in the cold darkness, just outside the entrance of Sundra's volcano.

"Search for the truth in what we know?" Cecil repeated.

Harry growled to himself, "More damn rhymes. Life taunts me, I swear!"

"Come on, Harry," Cecil said yawning. "Let's get back to the valley. Tomorrow's another day, if the world hasn't been totally destroyed by then. It'll be more clear to us then."

They disappeared in a flash, a small sapling grew where they had disappeared, to rest until the next day when they would have to think of a plan on how to solve the encrypted message which lay in their minds. Some way, some how, they were to defeat Voldemort who had put the dark curse upon Elora. How, and when they were going to accomplish this task, only the stars which wrote their destiny would know the answer. But shy as they are, they won't even tell me the answer. ~.^


	11. Tales of Lore - Chapter 11

Harry - Elora Chronicles: **Tales of Lore** (CH11)  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)

A/N: Sorry this one took so long, I was jotting down ideas on what should happen, and this is what I came out with. Hope you like it! ^_^ R&R please! There's still one more chapter to come, to end the whole thing.

* * *

The next morning in Castle Gray, Elora stood in the courtyard in her nightgown and robe with Luno, brushing her wings gently and humming a soft song. The song kept Luno calm, all she did was neigh softly once in a while, but then suddenly she jolted away from Elora. "What's wrong, Luno?" Elora said softly.

Elora felt a cold hand touch her arm. She whipped around and stepped back to come face to face with Voldemort, his cold grin sent a chill down her spine. She growled, "Voldemort. What are you doing here?"

Voldemort laughed softly, "Just to talk to you, Elora. I wanted to apologize,"

Elora hissed, "Yet again with the apology. I fell for it once and I'm not going to again, understand?"

Voldemort growled and was about to shout at Elora, when Ahren came up behind him and said, "What's going on here?"

Voldemort stopped and without turning around, keeping his eyes fixated on Elora, replied; "I was just talking with your daughter, Ahren. Nothing more."

Ahren walked around Voldemort and stood beside Elora, he looked at Voldemort then at Elora, whom had her eyes fixated on Voldemort as well, and an angry expression on her face towards him. Ahren smirked, "My dear, tonight's the night to finish our work. Are you up for it?"

Elora looked at Ahren and replied, "Yes father, I'm ready for anything you can throw at me."

Voldemort gave a sly grin and muttered under his breath, "You'd be surprised what I can throw at you."

Elora whipped her head to Voldemort and growled, "Did someone tell you to speak, Voldemort?" 

Voldemort was about to pounce on Elora when Ahren stepped between them, he looked at Voldemort and pushed him away, then he looked to Elora saying, "Elora, you mustn't speak to him in that tone. This plan depends on the two of you to get along, understood?"

Elora gave a cold stare to Voldemort as he left the courtyard and went back into the castle, then sighed and looked up to Ahren saying, "Understood."

"Good," Ahren said. "I'll see you tonight, nine sharp, all right?" Elora nodded as Luno walked softly to her side and she continued to brush her, she continued to hum her song, and then Ahren left the courtyard, and followed Voldemort up the steps.

He caught up to him and grabbing his arm, he pushed Voldemort against the wall of the staircase. He growled, "I swear, Voldemort, if you lay one more hand upon Elora, I will kill you personally!"

Voldemort laughed, "You cannot, Ahren, I am the one who has placed the curse upon her, remember? You cannot kill me, for if you do, Elora will no longer be your daughter and all hope for darkness upon these worlds will ceased."

Ahren, with a shaky hand, let go of Voldemort's arm. Voldemort walked up the rest of the stairs; Ahren didn't let his eyes off of him. When Voldemort disappeared into his room, Ahren collapsed to the stairs, sitting on the step and ran his fingers through his hair. He muttered to himself, "This is getting out of control."

* * *

In the Danen home Harry, Cecil, and Mr. Danen lay down in the family room, trying to think up a plan on how to destroy Voldemort, therefore releasing the curse from around Elora. "Well, the best thing I can come up with is that we go to The Realm before they make their final sermon and push Harry into Voldemort," Cecil suggested.

Harry rolled over and landed with a THUMP on the ground, he quickly set himself back on the couch; he had fallen asleep and the hard ground had woken him up. "What did you say?"

Cecil looked at Harry, "I said that we go to The Realm and push you into Voldemort. Something should happen, don't you think?"

Harry laughed, "You're joking right?" Harry saw that Cecil's expression was very serious. Harry sighed, "You're not joking."

Mr. Danen yawned, "Well. Let's do it. Maybe Harry has some sort of hidden power." Harry and Cecil looked to Mr. Danen with wide eyes. Mr. Danen stared back and said, "It can happen!"

"I'm coming with you," Mrs. Danen said as entered the room. Mr. Danen quickly rose off the couch, before he could say anything Mrs. Danen looked at him saying, "I just can't sit around without seeing her, Dennis, I have to go!"

Mr. Danen nodded, "All right, Sherri. You can come, but stay behind us."

Mrs. Danen sneered to her husband, "I can take care of myself, Dennis, you darn well know that." She turned around and was out the door before anyone could reply. Mr. Danen shrugged to Cecil and Harry, who stood in awe at what just happened.

"Come on, let's go," Mr. Danen said and followed behind his wife. Harry and Cecil quickly scrambled together and got their cloaks, and headed out the door.

* * *

In The Realm Elora and Ahren stood across from each other with a stone bowl filled to the rim with water between them. Voldemort stood behind them with his normal no-expression face plastered on his face, and his arms folded across his chest.

"Are you ready?" Ahren asked Elora.

Elora nodded and took in a deep breath, she held her hand out to Ahren, palm down to the water, and replied, "Do it."

From under Ahren's cloak, hanging at his side, a larger version of the Dark Arts Daggers was sheathed. He unsheathed the knife and held it in his right hand. He himself took a deep breath then said, "With this blood, mixed with the water of The Realm, we call upon all darkness, all shadows, all vials of evil in the worlds, to overcome all light."

He dipped the blade of the knife into the water, then raised it up over Elora's hand, he brought it down but before the blade could strike Elora's hand, the knife flew out of his hand and landed three feet away. Ahren held his hand tight, since it had just been hit by something, but it was too fast he didn't know what it was. The thing whizzed past him and he finally saw what it was: a boomerang! He knew of only one person who mastered that vile contraption, "Dennis."

Ahren, Elora, and Voldemort turned to their heads to the entrance of The Realm. There stood Harry, Cecil, Mr. Danen, and Mrs. Danen. Mr. Danen caught boomerang, kissed it, and muttered, "I love this thing."

Mrs. Danen screamed, "What do you think you were going to do to my daughter?"

Voldemort sneered and walked towards them, "Her blood mixed with that of the dark waters would create the final mixture we need to take over these worlds. How dare you - ugh!" Voldemort suddenly stopped and fell to the ground when Cecil pushed Harry into him. Harry's scar had hurt like he- well, really bad by now, since touching Voldemort had increased the pain.

Cecil cheered Harry on, "That's it Harry! You destroy him!"

Voldemort growled and stood up, taking Harry by the collar, and threw him into one of the glass walls. "He cannot destroy me," Voldemort shouted. "I cannot be destroyed!" He turned to Ahren who had picked up the knife by now and shouted, "Finish it!"

Ahren brought the knife back over Elora's hand and brought it down. Mrs. Danen reached out to her from a far screaming, "No!"

When the knife hit Elora's hand, a bright, blinding light overcame the area. The light had created a force with split up Elora and Ahren. Ahren lay on the floor, as did Elora. Harry wearily rose to his feet. Cecil, Mr. Danen, and Voldemort stared at Mrs. Danen; the light had come from her.

"Sh-Sherri," Mr. Danen muttered. 

Mrs. Danen ran over to Elora, knelt down beside her, and picked her head up. "Elora, my dear daughter, please speak to me."

Elora moaned, twitched a bit, then opened her eyes to look up at her mother as she muttered, "Me-Mom?"

Mrs. Danen smiled down to Elora and replied, "Yes, it's me." Elora sat up and embraced her mother; tears ran down their faces. "I missed you dear," Mrs. Danen sobbed.

Elora sobbed back, "I - I remember it all, it was dark. I didn't understand it all!" By now the dark features which overcame Elora had disappeared. The ebony hair had returned to a dark brown, and her onyx eyes returned to the brown they had been once before, the white stripe stayed.

Voldemort growled and walked over to Ahren. He kicked him, and he woke up immediately shouting, "Ouch! Who did that?"

Voldemort sneered, "Get up! It's over. Let's go."

Ahren stood up and looked over to Elora and Mrs. Danen, he shook his head and smiled, "I won't go. I give up, Voldemort, there's nothing more for me this way."

Voldemort growled, looked down where the knife lay, and he picked it up, hiding it by his side. He grinned and replied, "All right, Ahren. Go live your pathetic life on the good side."

Ahren walked past Voldemort, but as soon as he did, he fell to his knees on the ground. Voldemort had struck the knife into his back, but by the time Ahren had fallen, Voldemort's hard laugh rang through the area and he had disappeared. (A/N: Now who saw that coming? 100 points to those who did! And 100 off for those who didn't... ;p)

Elora noticed what had happened, she gasped, and quickly ran over to Ahren shouted, "Ahren, no!" She knelt by Ahren; he tried to stand, but fell right back on the ground, into Elora's arms.

He looked into Elora's eyes and with a short laugh said, "Guess I won't be living the life of good, eh?" Blood ran down his back and collected in a puddle around them.

Tears ran down Elora face, she still remember all Ahren had done for her. Even though his ways were wrong, he cared about her, and he protected her from Voldemort. She cried, "Ahren, I wish I could save you, but in this place, I can't. I'm sorry."

Ahren placed a hand against her cheek and smiled, "My dear, all things come to an end sooner or later, it is just my time. I'll be with you, Elora, you'll always be my daughter in my heart." (A/N: *sniff, sniff* I need a moment... *cry, sob, honk* All right, anyone need a tissue? *waves a box of tissue around* ;) ) Then he died.

The Realm then disappeared around them, and they stood in their same position outside of the forest where Harry and the others had entered.

Elora gently set Ahren's body on the ground. Harry, with a limp, walked up behind her. She rose to her feet and quickly ran to him, almost knocking him down, and cried into his shoulder. Harry patted her back and tried to comfort her, "Elora, it's okay. He wasn't a good guy, you don't have to cry."

"You don't understand, Harry, he was good," Elora said under tears and pushed Harry away. "His heart was good, his mind was clouded, and just before he died, his mind cleared." She then ran off to her parents, and they held her, as a family.

Cecil walked up to Harry who stood awestruck at what Elora had said, "What did I say?"

Cecil laughed and patted Harry on the back, "You'll understand soon, Harry." 

To Be Continued...


	12. Tales of Lore - Chapter 12

Harry - Elora Chronicles: Tales of Lore (CH12)  
by Katie Davidson (Virtue)  
  
A/N: The last chapter for this series and for a while, the whole caboodle. I might feel like starting a 'Future' series where Elora is just about to graduate from Hogwarts, but not right now. Hope you liked it all. It's a little sappy at the end. But I felt like a sappy ending would be best.  
  
----------------  
  
At Elora's house, Elora sat curled up on the window ledge in her room, looking out to the morning sky. She thought of all that had happened to her in the past. From the first day she met Harry, to the last second where Ahren, someone who she had felt close to, like a father, had died.  
  
"Elora?" Harry said as he knocked on her door and entered. "I-I'm sorry."  
  
"Sorry for what?" Elora asked, not looking at him, keeping her gaze on the blue sky.  
  
"Sorry for not understand what you've been going through. It's hard for me, since I'm not a girl. "  
  
"I know, Harry. It's not your fault."  
  
"But I do understand parts of it. Losing someone close to you, I mean, I almost lost you, didn't I?"  
  
Elora kept silent for a while, then gently slid off the window ledge to the floor of her room, and walked up to Harry. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, saying, "You know I would never abandon you, Harry. I love you too much to do a thing like that."  
  
Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around Elora's waist, leaning in for kiss, but Elora laughed and placed two fingers against his lips. "Come on Harry," Elora said, "we've got shopping to do. I've got to get my new robes and my wand." She took his hand and pulled him out of her room and to the front door, where Mr. and Mrs. Danen waited for them.  
  
Down in Diagon Alley, Harry and Elora met up with Hermione and Ron. "So Harry," Ron asked nudging him in the side, "how was your summer?"  
  
"Fine, Ron." Harry replied then looked up to Elora ahead of him, who walked with Hermione. "Nothing happened really."  
  
Ron whined, "Oh, come on now. Something must have happened. I mean, a full vacation with your girlfriend... something MUST have happened!"   
  
"Eh?" Harry laughed, "Okay Ron, you tell me. You've been alone with Hermione many times... has anything happened between you two yet?"  
  
Ron was shocked, as his question had backfired on him. He gave a grimacing smile and chuckled, "Hum… that's private information, Harry."  
  
"Right," Harry said. "Let's keep it there."  
  
"Harry!" Elora yelled as she stood in front of the shop where she would purchase her very own wand for the rest of her years at Hogwarts. "Will you come in with me?"  
  
Harry smiled and nodded, "Sure!"  
  
"Ron," Hermione stopped Ron from entering the wand shop with Harry and Elora. "Let's go gather our books now. I'm excited to see what this book on our list is. I've never heard of it before."  
  
Harry laughed, "We'll meet you two later then."  
  
Ron nodded, "Right Harry, and our little chat isn't finished, remember?"  
  
Hermione pushed Ron away from the shop and down across the lane to the bookstore. Harry entered the shop where Elora was already consulting with the clerk about her wand.  
  
"Ah, yes!" the clerk said. "The wand must choose you, not you it. Let's see now." The clerk ran off to the cabinets that held all the wands she had in stock. She pulled one long, shiny brown box out and opened it. She gave the wand to Elora and asked her to hold it. Elora took the wand and held it firmly in her wand hand. She swung it delicately around… but nothing happened. The clerk put the wand back and took out another one.  
  
An hour or so later… they were still at it. Harry sat half-asleep on a chair in the corner, and the floor of the store was covered in open boxes and wands. The clerk handed Elora the last wand he had in stock and Elora tried it… but nothing happened. Elora sighed, "So now what?"  
  
The clerk plopped down on a chair and yawned, "That's all I have my dear. It's weird… no wand reacted to you in the way they should. One SHOULD have reacted."  
  
Elora sighed again and walked over to Harry. She shook him saying, "Wake up Harry, let's go."  
  
Harry yawned, "Did you get one?"  
  
Elora shook her head saying, "None of them worked for me."  
  
Harry looked down at the piles of boxes and wands on the ground, then he saw that the stores walls were totally bare, and yet Elora had no wand. "You tried EVERY wand in the store? And still NOTHING happened?"  
  
"Nope," Elora replied, "come on Harry, let's go. I'll just have to go without a wand."  
  
"Wait a moment," the clerk jumped to her feet. "There's still ONE more. It's in the back. Just hold on, all right?" The clerk pushed through the piles of wands and boxes and into the back of the store. She came back holding a long wooden box engraved with drawings and weird symbols. The box was dusty, and it looked as though it was very old.   
  
The clerk set the box down on a tower of other wand boxes. "This has been in storage since the early years… hum, I think since the hundreds. But, I heard that a great wizard once owned this wand, and that he left this wand to our store saying he would come back for it. It's been so long now and I don't think he's coming back. So, let's try it out."   
  
The clerk opened the box to reveal a curvey wand, about 32cm in length, made of what looked like stained wood, and finished with silver. The silver on the wand was stripped in some places and made the wand look as old as it should be. The clerk brought the box to Elora saying, "Take it. I've tried to take it out of the box, but I can't. Guess only the one who can do it is who the wand chooses."  
  
Elora looked at the wand, then looked at Harry and smiled saying, "Harry. How about you try first?"  
  
Harry laughed, "I've already got a wand Elora, but it won't hurt to try." Harry pulled up his sleeves and reached to take the wand, but it wouldn't come out. Harry tried tugging on the wand and soon enough the wand lifted… but it was still in the box.   
  
The clerk laughed as he took the box back, with the wand still glued to i. "Guess the only one who can take it is the wizard. Oh well, back to the back with it." The clerk started to walk away but then Harry stopped her.  
  
"Hey!" Harry said, "Elora still hasn't tried."  
  
"Well, she can give it a try I guess," the clerk said as she brought the box closer to Elora.  
  
Elora hesitated to bring her hand over the wand. "This isn't going to work. I mean, this is a WIZARDS wand… and I'm only a second year Hogwarts WITCH. Why would this wand choose me?" Just then, as Elora put her open hand over the wand, it jumped up into her hand.  
  
"Well, there's your answer," the clerk laughed. "It's yours."  
  
Harry was speachless at that moment. Elora smiled at the clerk saying, "Well. How much you want for it?"  
  
"It's yours. Free," the clerk replied, "since it isn't mine, that is. Just take it and go. I have some cleaning to do."  
  
Elora and Harry then left the store together and walked down Diagon Alley to the bookstore. Elora held her wand firmly and rubbed it gently. "Feels different from any other wand. Like it's made of something else… not wood."  
  
Harry looked at the wand; it looked perfectly normal to him. "Looks normal to me Elora." Harry looked at Elora; her eyes were still on the wand, her hands were still gently rubbing it, then something happened.  
  
The wand started to glow, sparks flew from its tip and hit Elora. She dropped the wand and stepped back, covering her eyes as the wand created a blinding white light down the street. All the people around them disappeared, as did Diagon Alley, and Elora and Harry found themselves standing in The Realm.  
  
Elora let her arms fall to her side and looked around. "Harry?" she said, looking at Harry, "What happened?"  
  
Harry looked at Elora, then down at the wand, which was still lying in front of them on the ground, then replied, "The wand, Elora, it must have been the wand."  
  
"But why would it bring us here." Elora asked, then started to yell, as her body began to shake, "I don't want to be here. I want to go back. Not here, I don't want to be here!"  
  
Harry ran up to Elora quickly, and held her in his arms to calm her down. "Hush, Elora. It's okay."  
  
A loud, long roar broke the silence around them. A large stone coloured lion began to walk towards them saying, "Welcome."  
  
Harry looked at the lion saying, "Who are you? What do you want?"  
  
The lion snarled and jumped in front of them, his large paw almost smashing the wand that lay on the ground. The wind that the lion made when he pounced almost made Harry and Elora fall back. The lion sniffed them, then sat down and replied, "My name is Lore, I am the guardian of The Realm."  
  
"I know who you are," Elora said to Lore, "was it you who brought us here?"  
  
Lore looked at Elora and growled lightly, "In a way, yes, but no."  
  
"What kind of answer is that?" Harry asked.  
  
"It is an answer." Lore replied. "It was not me who brought you here, but it was this wand, which was once mine long ago."  
  
Elora and Harry looked down to the wand near Lore's giant paws. Elora looked up to the face of the stone lion and asked, "Why?"  
  
"So many questions, my dear. If you will listen, I will tell you," the lion replied, then started his story. "Long ago I was once a young, charming wizard. In those times, in the wizarding world, the story of a wand once owned by the greatest wizard was said to have been uncovered. It was being held in a museum. I was young and greedy, so I stole the wand, and with the wand I was known to be the most powerful wizard in the wizarding community. I left to the muggle world, so as to hide from the coucil, and to seek new audiences. So I left for the muggle world, to a place called Salem.  
  
"They did not embrace my powers, so the sought me out, to kill me, hang me, because they thought I was a follower of the devil. I ran back to the wizarding world, but the muggles followed, and some actually made it through our barriers. They found out about our world, and I was the one who had done it. So I had to do something to fix it: I killed those who found out, so that they wouldn't know about our community."  
  
"You killed those people?" Harry gasped.  
  
"Yes, but the villagers who missed them blamed it on witches. Saying they had been taken. More killing of our kind, and even their own kind, began. The council found out what I had done, and sentenced me to life as the guardian of this desolate Realm. Before they found me, I placed the wand in a box with marking of the old times and gave it to a wand store in Diagon Alley to hold until, and if, I ever returned. But I lost my powers as a wizard and my handsome face. I was left isolated in The Realm and I changed. I embraced the dark side."  
  
Elora growled, "You are an idiot! How could you have done such a thing without knowing the consequences?"  
  
"You are right," Lore said, swaying his head to the side, "and I know that now. I saw you, Elora, and what you had done. Your power embraced me, made me understand what I had done, both in Salem and for many years in The Realm."  
  
"Why did you bring us here?" Elora screamed.  
  
Lora growled, "I told you. I did not bring you here on purpose. I programmed the wand to bring whoever it chose to me if it were not I who held it. Elora, if the wand chose you, then you must be a special person, with extra-ordinary powers."  
  
"What do you want from me?" Elora asked, holding on even tighter to Harry.  
  
"I ask of only one thing from you, Elora," Lore replied. "Live in happiness for as long as you can. You never know when it will be stripped away from you."  
  
"I know that too much now," Elora said silently as she looked up to Harry.  
  
Lore started to turn around and walk away from them. Harry yelled out to him, "Lore. Is there anything we can do for you?"  
  
Lore replied, "Just hold onto her, never let her go, you will have a happy life together," as The Realm began to disappear from around them and were both standing in each others arms in Diagon Alley.  
  
Harry let go of Elora and looked around. "What just happened?"  
  
Elora knelt down to pick up the wand, then smiled saying; "It's over, for now." She stood up and looked at Harry. "Come on, let's go. Ron and Hermione are still waiting for us," and she began to walk away.  
  
"Wait," Harry said, taking Elora's arm to make her stop walking. "What do you mean, 'It's over...'?"  
  
Elora closed in on Harry and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, and smiled as she pulled away from him, "As long as we're together Harry, nothing more can hurt us, and those who we love most." She put the wand into her pocket and took Harry's hand, then together they walked down Diagon Alley to where not only Ron and Hermione waited for them, but to the beginning of new adventures.  



End file.
